To Be A Hero
by redangel2463
Summary: As the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome, Karin's power and potential could only be proven in her hero persona, Moriko. Follow her story, as she enters the beginning of Young Justice and brings what only a part yōkai blooded girl can do. Parings: Kagome/Martian Manhunter, Superboy/OC, and Aqualad/OC.
1. Stowaway

To Be a Hero

**AN: I asked if you wanted it and you said yes. So, secretsrsafehir, ADL1, sverhei, Applejax XD, Guest, BatmanFanatic123 your wish has finally been granted. I can't tell you all how excited I am to finally put this fic out. Even if it ends up bombing and no one likes it, I'm glad I wrote this. **

**Things to Know: **

**The story line will follow the Young Justice Cartoon of 2010.**

**The Final Act of Inuyasha did happen, but the Bone Eaters Well didn't disappear and Kikyo was still alive. Though during this fic the Well is sealed indefinitely. **

**Karin, is Kagome and Inuyasha's daughter, which makes her a quarter inu demon.**

**For those who read 'Welcome to the Justice League', this is not a sequel for that fic. It's a spin off due to major detail changes in both story lines. **

**Everything else that's need to know will be explained in either this chapter or the following ones.**

******That just about covers it, so my fellow readers and writers sit back, relax and enjoy the show!**

Summary: As the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome, Karin's power and potential could only be proven in her hero persona, Moriko. Follow her story, as she enters the beginning of Young Justice and brings what only a part yōkai blooded girl can do.

Disclaimer: *Walk on stage right and face audience before clearing throat* I do not own Inuyasha or Young Justice. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and the Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. The only characters I own are Karin and Kou`ki. I make no profit off this fanfic, so please don't sue me. *Bows to audience and walk off stage left*

Chapter 1: Stowaway

_Higurashi Shrine _

"In other news, the day was once again saved by the heroic deeds of the Justice League," said the reporter on the television, in the main house living room at Higurashi Shrine. A fifteen year old girl and her four year old brother were watching the report excitingly. "As you can see by the footage, many heroes have suffered third degree burns in their fight today against Firefly and Volcana, including the heroes Wonder Woman and Flash." The television showed the footage of those League members getting attacked by the fire villains.

"Ouch," Karin winced, as she saw her 'aunt' and 'uncle' being burned by the ruthless villains. "Looks like Kaa-san might be a little late tonight," she told her little brother, who nodded in agreement.

Their mother, Kagome Higurashi, was one of the founding members of the Justice League that formed almost ten years ago, when Karin was five years old. Because of her purification and healing powers, Kagome created her hero persona Miko, where she fought with sacred arrows and a special katana that was forged by Totosai.

It was in the League that Kagome met the hero Martian Manhunter, a Martian from Mars whose real name was J`onn J`onzz. In time, they both fell deeply in love with each other and got married. And after a few years of marital bliss, they were blessed with a baby boy whom they named Kou`ki.

"_Look, its Kaa-san_," said Kou`ki telepathically, as he pointed to the screen when it showed their mother using her powers to create a barrier around the injured heroes. Being a half Martian child of Mars, Kou`ki had a handful of his father's abilities, like telepathy and shape shifting. Which came in handy because of his green skin that he also inherited from his father.

Karin smiled at his excitement, "Yea, I see her," she replied out loud.

Kou`ki used his telepathy more often than speaking out loud due to his shyness. Martian's only spoke to each other telepathically on Mars and it made him feel less anxious when he spoke into peoples minds. Kagome and J`onn believed that he felt shy due to him being the only half Martian in existence.

Karin found her brothers feeling hard to understand, since she was a quarter inu yōkai and wasn't ashamed of it.

Actually, if you took a look at their 'family,' being a half-Martian wasn't really that big of a deal.

For instance, there was their adoptive big brother Shippo, who was a kitsune yōkai. He was married to a woman named Rin, Karin's uncle _Sesshōmaru_'s adoptive human daughter. Together they had bunch of hanyou kitsune children, including Karin's best friend and niece, Hitomi.

Then there was their family friends Kouga and Ayame, who are wolf yōkai. They had over dozens upon dozens of wolf children, including a son, who was Karin's best friend and former boyfriend, Riku.

And of course, there was the rest of the founding members of the Justice League, who acted like aunts and uncles towards the Higurashi-J`onzz children.

Still, even with all their support, Kou`ki was still extremely shy, 'I hope he'll overcome his wariness one day,' Karin wished to herself.

Suddenly, a noise coming from outside, hitting Karin's inu yōkai enhanced hearing. Taking a cautioning sniff of the air, she knew who made the noise and smiled. "Kaa-san's home," she told her brother before they both got up from the couch to greet their mother.

Kagome came through the front door, wearing her Miko hero uniform. A short red female kimono, which was made with the hair of the yōkai fire rat that also had a hood. She also wore black leggings, combat boots, and a poison shielding mask, much like her old friend Sango's exterminator mask.

"Hey you two," Kagome greeted, as she took off her poison shielding mask, and smiled at both her children. "What are you doing up this late?"

"Outo-san is coming home tonight, and we wanted to see him," Karin answered while hugging her mother, "It's almost been a month."

J`onn had returned to his home planet Mars, to visit his Martian family and people. He often did this so he could educate his people about their sister planet. The Martian hero accomplished this by bringing information, films, and objects from Earth that the Martians loved.

"Don't remind me," Kagome muttered, thinking of how much she missed her husband. She kneeled down to her son's level, and kissed him on the cheek, "You happy that Outo-san's coming home, Kou-chan?"

Kou`ki nodded enthusiastically before yawning, which made both females giggle.

A meow coming from the floor brought all three individual's heads down.

"Oh," Kagome registered and picked up the source of the noise. "Sorry Kirara," she cooed as she picked up the fire neko, "Thanks for taking care of the young ones for me." The fire neko rubbed her head on her master's cheek in reply.

Sesshōmaru had found Kirara a few years back and suggested that she be a companion for Karin.

"Oh, Obaa-san left you some Oden in the kitchen, before she left to visit her friend," Karin informed her mother.

"Oden!" Kagome cheered, as she put down Kirara and zoomed from the front door to the kitchen with surprising speed.

Karin rolled her eyes at the action, 'Kaa-san's love for Oden is a little disturbing.'

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_Twenty Minutes Later _

Kagome had finished eating her Oden at the kitchen table, and then started to contemplate what had happened earlier today. Both Diana and Barry were badly injured from the third degree burns, after today's battle with the fire wielding villains. If Kagome didn't have her healing powers they would have been in huge trouble, and probably would have been off duty for some time.

But that wasn't what was troubling her.

Kagome's miko instincts have been on edge over the past few weeks, since there was a lot of activity with notorious super villains. It just seemed too coincidental in her opinion, and it was beginning to trouble her. She spoke to Batman about her thoughts after her healing session with the others, and he couldn't help but agree with her.

'They're planning something,' she thought of their conclusion. 'But what could it be?'

"Kaa-san," Karin called as she entered the room, breaking Kagome out of her thoughts, "Is everything alright?" she asked after smelling the distress coming from her mother's scent.

"Just thinking, Kar-chan," Kagome answered honestly, allowing her worry to evaporate from her scent. She didn't want to burden her daughter about her concerns just yet, "Where's Kou`ki?"

"He finally dozed off," her daughter replied, "I'm actually surprised he was able to stay up this late."

Her mother chuckled, "Well, he is a big daddy's boy."

Kagome knew how much Kou`ki missed his father whenever he was off planet like this. During her husband's absence, Kagome let her son sleep in bed with her, and Kou`ki would always stay closely curled up next to her, leaving a lot of room on his father's side of the bed just in case he came home early. They would often wake up a little saddened to still find the space empty the next morning.

"We'll wake him up when J`onn is home," the miko replied, before giving her daughter a knowing look. "So, are you excited about meeting everyone tomorrow?"

Karin smiled and nodded, "Absolutely, I can't believe it's finally happening."

Tomorrow was a big day.

The day the heroes were finally allowing their protégés to enter the Halls of Justice.

Karin has been her mother's protégé for the past year now, going by the hero persona Moriko, which means 'guardian.' Though she may not have been in the field long, Karin got a lot of training from her parents, plus her brother and uncle on her yōkai abilities. After her parents had discussed it, they agreed to let Karin attend the Halls of Justice as well.

'All that waiting and hard work is finally going to pay off,' Karin thought thrilled about the event. She was also excited about meeting her hero uncle's protégés. It will be the first time she would officially meet Robin, Kid Flash, Speedy, and Aqualad. "I can't wait to finally meet them," she said eagerly, "I hope we'll get along alright."

"I'm sure you will," Kagome replied in support. She may have only met all the boys a few times but she knew their mentors. If they think their protégé's were worthy, then so did Kagome.

"_My dearest_," the sound of J`onn's called in Kagome's mind, using his telepathy from his Javelin air ship.

Kagome smiled, "Your Outo-san's contacting to me," she told Karin.

J`onn spoke with Kagome telepathically back when they first met. When he'd first arrived on Earth, it was a little troubling to always speak out loud to everyone. Many of the heroes vocalized on how uncomfortable they were to have J`onn go inside their minds, since they had contact with a few villains who have done so in the past. Kagome was the only one to tell J`onn that it was okay to go into her mind. When he asked her why, she said 'I know how being in unfamiliar surrounding can make you a little, well…homesick.' That's when J`onn knew that he needed to get to know Kagome better. Over time, her love and acceptance captured the Martian's heart, along with Karin whom he loved as if she were his own child. J`onn couldn't believe she had said yes to him the day he asked her to be his wife, and in only a few short years given him a son.

"_Koibito, you almost home?"_ Kagome asked to J`onn's mind.

"_Yes,_" he answered, "_But that's not why I'm 'calling' you_."

"_Is everything okay_?" Kagome asked concerned.

"_Well,_" J`onn said, unsure of how his wife will react to his news, "_It depends on how you feel towards…stowaways._"

Kagome raised a brow.

Karin watched quietly allowing her parents to 'speak' privately. However, she was fully aware how the scent coming from her mother was changing from; giddiness, to worry, till it settled to surprised. Kagome's eyes widened and jaw dropped. "What's going on?" Karin finally asked.

The miko's shock turned to amusement and she began to chuckle, "Well, it looks like your Outo-san brought back something from Mars."

"Like a present?" Karin guessed, not understanding what the big deal was.

"Nope," Kagome said shaking her head and smiled, "One of its residents."

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_Half an Hour Later_

J`onn landed the Javelin outside the Higurashi Shrine and turned to the passenger next to him, who was looking at the shrine in wonder. His stowaway had turned out to be his favorite niece, M`gann, who had snuck on to his ship and didn't reveal herself until it was too late to turn back to Mars.

"_Wow,"_ M`gann said telepathically in amazement, _"This is Earth…its better than imagined."_

J`onn nodded at her words, especially when his wife and children came out of the main house to greet them. _"Indeed, it is." _

"_Do you think they'll like me?"_ M`gann asked her uncle with a slight nervousness in her voice. The young female Martian was considered an outsider on her home planet, for very prejudice reasons. It was the main purpose why she had wanted to come to Earth in the first place. The other intention was for her to become more like her uncle and become a hero.

J`onn smiled at his favorite niece in reassurance, "_Of course they will. My wife and our family are very good and kind people."_

M`gann nodded and took a few moments to build up her confidence, _"Okay, I'm ready."_

Together, both Martians left the Javelin and made their way towards the main house.

"Outo-san," Karin and Kou`ki greeted together, as they ran and embraced their father.

J`onn hugged them back just as lovingly. Being away from his children wasn't easy and being away from his wife was sometimes unbearable but it was his burden to bare, for loving two worlds.

"I'm glad to be home," he said before releasing his son and step-daughter.

"Good," said Kagome making her way towards her husband, "Cause so are we," she said before leaning up to kiss him.

M`gann watched the exchanges silently, not wanting to ruin the reunion between her uncle and…aunt. 'I have a human aunt,' the female Martian thought, smiling to herself on how remarkable it was to have relatives on Earth.

Kagome pulled back from her husband and glanced over at their new house guest. Surprisingly, the female Martian had more of a humanoid form like Kou`ki then J`onn. She even had long red hear and freckles, 'I wonder where she got that idea from,' Kagome pondered. She didn't dwell on her thoughts for too long though, since it wasn't that important. "M`gann," Kagome welcomed her niece openly, "I can't believe I get finally get to meet you," she said before greeting the girl in hug. The miko didn't think she would ever get to meet one of J`onn's many family members that lived on Mars, since the only way she could visit is if she wore a space suit at all times.

M`gann was a little surprised by the hug but quickly embraced the human woman back, "I'm pleased to meet you too. Uncle J`onn talks about you all the time on his visits."

"Oh really," Kagome said as she pulled back and turned to her husband, who was conveniently avoiding her gaze, "And what, pray tell, did he say?"

"Just how incredible you are and you're definitely lovelier then he described," M`gann replied honestly, making Kagome turn back to face her. "I'm glad my uncle was able to find happiness on Earth with you."

Kagome smiled at her nieces flattering words, "Oh, we're definitely keeping you," she said before leading M`gann to the children, "These are your cousins, Karin and Kou`ki. Though I'm sure your J`onn told you about them too."

M`gann nodded, "Yes, umm hi," she nervously waved awkwardly to her cousins.

Karin gave a small smile and bowed in greeting, "Nice to meet you, M`gann-chan"

Kou`ki slowly walked up to his cousin, staring at her in amazement, since she was only the second Martian he'd ever seen.

M`gann moved just as slowly as she kneeled down to be on the boy's level. Her uncle had told her that her younger cousin was very shy and how he only liked to speak telepathically, _"Hello,"_ she said in his mind _"I'm M`gann, what's your name?"_

It took a few moments for him to respond, "_Kou`ki."_

"_Wow, that's a really nice name,_" the Martian girl said sweetly, _"Very unique…like you."_

Kou`ki gave a tiny hint of a smile, before he ran back to cling to his mother.

"He's so adorable," M`gann squealed over him as she stood back up.

"We like to think so," Kagome replied, before looking down to her son and rubbing his head of black hair, "Its way past your bed time, Kou-chan. Do you want Outo-san to tuck you in?" Kou`ki nodded and went over to his father. J`onn lifted the boy up into his arms and walked inside. "We better head inside too," she told the girls.

They both nodded and followed the miko inside, which gave Karin a chance to talk with M`gann, "Not that I'm complaining, but what made you want to sneak to Earth?"

M`gann gazed at the shrine, "I've wanted to come here for a long time. Ever since I saw, 'Hello'" she suddenly paused, looking as if she was going to say something she wasn't supposed to. "Well, Uncle J`onn brought a lot of television shows and movies to teach us of our sister planet and I just couldn't stop thinking about coming here. Sneaking on his ship was…a spontaneous decision on my end."

Karin shrugged, "Like I said no complaints. I'm actually glad you did. I knew I had cousins on Mars, but I didn't think I'd ever get to meet any of them."

M`gann nodded in agreement as they made their way into the kitchen.

"Are you hungry, M`gann?" Kagome asked, as she looked in the pantry.

"Oh no, thank you" the young Martian replied.

Kagome turned to her and gave an unconvinced look, "Really? Not even," she said while pulling out J`onn's biggest weakness from the pantry; Oreo cookies, "A little snack."

M`gann's widened in delight at the package of cream filled cookies. It was one of the many Martian favorite snacks that J`onn brought back from hi trips. "Okay, maybe a little snack," she said in a completely smitten tone.

Karin chuckled before she mockingly warned her mother, "Outo-san isn't going to like that you took his private stash."

"Oh please, he's got two other stashes 'hidden' around the house," her mother replied as she pulled out a few cookies and put them on a plate to give to M`gann.

"Outo-san?" M`gann said, pronouncing the foreign word the best she could.

"It means 'father'," Kagome translated in English, as she placed the plate in front of her.

M`gann made a face of realization and she casually smacked her hand to her head, "Hello M`gann, we're speaking Japanese, right? Uncle J`onn said that people speak many different languages on Earth, due to people's culture and location."

"That's correct," Kagome replied.

"Wow," M`gann said overwhelmed, "How do you learn them all?"

Karin wanted to laugh but knew that it would be rude to do so since M`gann was asking legitimate questions, "We don't have to learn them all. Just the one that's commonly spoken where we live, and we can learn other languages, if we wish. But some humans go through their whole lives only speaking one language."

"Oh," the female Martian said understanding before taking a bite of a cookie, "We only speak one language on Mars."

"Lucky," Karin muttered with a hint of jealousy.

Kagome nodded in agreement, "Karin and I had to learn English when we became heroes. It's one of the most difficult to learn."

J`onn entered the kitchen and paused at the sight of M`gann eating his snacks, "What is going on?" he asked.

All girls looked up at him and Kagome tried to look innocent, "Whatever do you mean, Koibito?"

He narrowed his eyes in mock anger, "I believe those Oreo's were mine."

"Were they?" replied his wife, still looking innocently naïve, "I had no idea."

J`onn sent her a playful glare.

Karin slowly leaned into M`gann, "On Earth, this is the part where the children leave, so the adults can be all lovey dovey and gross."

The young Martian chuckled, before Karin got up to leave and the Martian followed her cousin upstairs, taking the plate of cookies with her.

Once they were gone, Kagome and J`onn were finally able to give each other a proper 'I missed you' kiss.

"_Don't ever leave again,_" Kagome urged him in his mind when they finally pulled apart.

"_You know I can't promise you that, my dearest_," J`onn replied.

She pouted before giving him a knowing smirk, "_Well you could at least make it up to me for being gone for so long._"

J`onn gave his own knowing smirk in reply.

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_One Hour Later _

"And you're going to the Justice League headquarters tomorrow?" M`gann asked her cousin, who nodded in response.

They were both in Karin's room on her bed. Kirara was in M`gann's lap and the Martian was fascinated by the yōkai neko, having never seen anything like her before. Karin spent the first forty five minutes explaining how she was part inu yōkai and who her family members were, before she told her cousin the news about tomorrow.

"Wow…do you think, maybe I could go too?" M`gann asked eagerly.

Karin made an unsure facial expression, "It's not really up to me. Maybe you could ask Outo-san about it in the morning."

"Well, can't we ask now?" asked the female Martian.

Karin shook her head vigorously, "Definitely not right now. My parents haven't seen each other for a month, and trust me you do not want to walk in on their…'reunion'." M`gann realized her cousin's meaning and blushed, which made Karin chuckle. "So, it looks like you and I are going to have a sleep over."

"Sleep over?" M`gann asked confused, after her blushing stopped.

The young yōkai girl looked at her cousin in mock horror, "Oh you poor thing. I have so much to teach you about being an Earth teenager."

The thought of that made M`gann smile.

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_The Next Morning_

J`onn folded his arm, as he stood looking at the two teenage girls firmly. Both of them were sitting on the living room couch with pleading looks on their face, "No."

M`gann looked at her uncle in discontent, "What?"

"But Outo-san," Karin tried to support her cousin.

"I said no," J`onn said again more sternly. There was no way he was going to allow his niece to join in fights involving villains or bad guys.

Kagome looked at her husband in disbelief, "_But its M`gann's choice. She has the same exact ability's as you do. Why can't she go to Hall of Justice with the rest of the protégés?"_ she asked him in his mind.

"_She doesn't have any proper training,"_ J`onn reasoned.

"_So what?"_ Kagome argued, "_We all had to start at some point."_ J`onn shook his head no. _"What else do you expect her to do, J`onn?"_ she asked, _"Be stuck in the shrine all day." _

Karin and M`gann watched the adults telepathic discussion, the tension and silence in the room was starting to become a little discomforting. "Are we supposed to stay put or leave?" M`gann whispered to Karin.

"I don't really know," she whispered back. "It's hard to tell whenever they're 'talking' like this."

Back and forth J`onn and Kagome kept arguing their side, until finally the Martian gave a compromise, "_Let's just wait and see how tomorrow goes, then I'll consider it."_

Kagome thought it over before nodding, _"Fair enough."_

Both adults turned to the teenagers, "Well?" Karin asked hopefully.

"M`gann won't be attending tomorrow," said J`onn, making both girls sigh in defeat. "But after we see how the protégé's do, we'll see about having her attend in the future," he finished, making both of them smile eagerly.

M`gann squealed and lunged at her uncle in a hug, "Oh, thank you Uncle J`onn!"

Kagome and Karin chuckled at the young Martian's gratefulness. Now that the matter was settled, they realized how close to time it was for them to meet the others at the Hall of Justice.

Karin ran up to her room to put on her Moriko uniform. The outfit was identical to her mothers, only her kimono was a dark purple. And instead of a poison mask, she used a thin black sash to hide her lower face, so that she could still use her enhanced yōkai sense of smell.

She didn't carry a bow and arrows or even a katana.

But she did carry a weapon.

Something her father had given her the only time she had met him when she was a child, just before he died. After an event that Karin barely remembered, and her mother refused to talk to her about.

The legendary yōkai fang sword that had the power to slay a hundred enemies with only one swing; the Tetsusaiga.

"_Use this to protect the ones you love,"_ Inuyasha said before he left to meet his demise.

Karin frowned at the memory as she took a long look at Tetsusaiga. She had only used the swords power once, a long time ago. Her parents had told her only to use it if, and only if, it was life and death situation.

After she was done reminiscing those memories, she placed the sheathed sword in her obi. It was her constant reminder of why she wanted to be a hero. 'To protect the ones I love.'

Karin went back down stairs, where her mother and father were waiting for her, "Are you ready?" Kagome asked.

"Yes," said Karin determined, "Today is the day."

**I know this isn't how M`gann came to Earth, (I've read the comics.) But hey it's a fic, nothing goes the way it's originally supposed to. So, what do you think? Good? Bad? I want to know, so please give a review or pm. I'm going to upload a new chapter every Monday, but time will vary. Next time: Protégés meet and secrets are discovered. **

**Till Then My Readers**


	2. Make Your Own Independence

To Be a Hero

**AN: Just so everyone knows, from this point on I'll be addressing people by their hero names when they're in their costumes and by their real names when they're not.**

**A special thanks to: creative hahnaa, Kitsune's Den, ADL 1,** **Maere Mara, KagomeInuDeman, BatmanFanatic123, EternalSouls, Alysx, Jacque' la Kitsune, Misty-Silver-Kitsune-Hanyo1230, MyworldMyImagination,** **HolyButterBalls, Blackranger96, Inu-Hanyou2016 and everyone for reading, following and favoring this story already. You guys brought sunshine to my week. **

**To My Reviewers: **

**Kitsune's Den: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. **

**ADL 1: You're Welcome, and hey I promised I would. **

**chibi-no-baka: I'm thrilled that you think so. **

**BatmanFanatic123: *blush* aww thank you so much. **

**MyworldMyImagination: I hope it does. **

**Guest: Hopefully this was quick enough and I'm glad you do. **

**Greatazuredragon: Thanks, I hope you like this one too. **

**Inu-Hanyou2016: Here you go. **

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Young Justice. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and the Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. The only character I own is Karin/Moriko. I make no profit off this fanfic. Please don't sue me. (Everybody got that? All righty then.)

Chapter 2: Make Your Own Independence

_Washington D.C July 4__th__ 14:00 EDT_

Miko and Moriko were the first to arrive outside the Hall of Justice. Kirara was in her true yōkai form next to Moriko, standing proudly next to her charge.

Many reporters and civilians were already waiting in anticipation of the historic event happening today.

Moriko's hands began to shake, from eagerness or nervousness she wasn't truly sure.

"Relax," Miko counseled her daughter.

"Believe it or not, this is relaxed," Moriko replied, glancing to her mother. Kirara nudged at Moriko's elbow, also advising the teenager to calm herself. "No, really I am," she told the neko.

"Guess we aren't the first ones after all," said a young voice behind the two Asian females and yōkai.

Behind them was the Dark Knight of Gotham and his Boy Wonder. Or better known as Batman and Robin.

Even with her mask on, Miko gave Batman a teasing smirk, "Looks like you're losing your touch, Batman-san."

The Dark Knight showed no emotion to the miko's teasing, since there were more pressing matters on his mind. "There was trouble in Gotham," he replied, "Mr. Freeze was attacking at a local park."

All the playfulness left Miko's eyes and were replaced with concern. By the look on Batman's face, there was more to it then that and it didn't look like he wanted to bring it up in front of their wards.

"So, you're Miko's apprentice," said the Boy Wonder, holding his hand out in greeting "I'm Robin."

The female protégé examined the young boy for a minute. He couldn't have been more than thirteen years old, but she could tell that he was strong and very skilled. "Moriko," she introduced herself, and shook his hand in the western style greeting. The sound of a purr made her remember the neko, "And this is my companion, Kirara."

Robin's eyes widened as the yōkai neko walked in front of him, "Big kitty," he said before rubbing the neko's ears, which made Kirara purr in delight.

"Didn't know you were going bring the cat," said another voice approaching the small group. It was Green Arrow who spoke, who was followed by his apprentice Speedy.

"Where Moriko goes, so will Kirara," Miko said simply. If Moriko was going to spend time at the Hall of Justice, Kirara had to get a lay of the place too. 'At least for a little while,' the miko thought to herself. 'Hopefully I can convince the others to change their minds about today.'

"What about the whole…ya know," Green Arrow motioned towards Moriko and the neko.

Robin and Speedy raised a brow at the way Green Arrow gestured to Moriko and Kirara. 'What's he talking about?' thought Speedy suspiciously.

The rest of the League already knew who and what Moriko's father was, and what Kirara was. However, they've yet to mention that to their protégé since the knowledge of yōkai must remain a secret from humans and the rest of the world. But after today, it may be necessary to inform them of demons living among them.

Miko glared at her fellow archer friend, "Yes?" she dared him to say something.

"Never mind," Green Arrow recanted taking the hint, knowing how Miko's legendary temper was not to be provoked.

"So," said Speedy looking at Moriko, "Too good for arrows?" he gestured to her lack of bow and arrow like her mentor.

Moriko shook her head, "More like I'm horrible at arrows," she replied, "I'm guessing from yours that you're Speedy."

They young adult nodded, not bothering to greet the young woman or ask her name. Speedy had been waiting for far too long for this day to come, 'Hurry it up already.'

"Well then," said Moriko, only somewhat provoked by the young archer's coldness, "Nice to meet you, Speedy."

"My friend, you should remember your manners when meeting new people," said a new young voice, "Especially, someone who you will be fighting alongside with." The young man who spoke was Aquaman's protégé, Aqualad.

"Shut up, Kaldur," mumbled Speedy.

Moriko chuckled at the young archer's sudden embracement.

"I've heard a lot about you, Moriko," the young Atlantean continued, "I am Aqualad."

"Pleased to meet you Aqualad," Moriko bowed in greeting, feeling comfortable to do so. By the way Aqualad spoke and behaved, soft spoken and respectful, it would have been impolite not to do so in return.

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While the teenagers were talking to one another, Miko got close to the other heroes, "What happened?" she asked lowly to them.

"We ran into some trouble with Icicle Jr," Green Arrow informed her.

"Aqualad and I also had ran into trouble near the docks," said Aquaman, "Killer Frost was attacking a merchant ship."

The miko glanced over at Batman and could tell he was contemplating the situation.

Three ice villains attacking on the same day.

'This isn't good,' Miko thought to herself.

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Not wanting to alarm the teenagers, the adults shook off their concerns and prepared for their true purpose of coming today.

"Today's the day," Batman said to Robin, giving a rare smile to show how proud he was of his ward.

Green Arrow walked up to Speedy, "The Hall of Justice."

"Headquarters to the Justice League," Aquaman said next to Aqualad.

Miko looked down to Moriko and smiled with her eyes on how proud she was her daughter. Any doubts that Moriko had earlier must have subsided after meeting the other protégés.

"Ah man," said a young voice behind everyone.

They all turned and saw two of the world's famous speedsters stop before them, Flash and Kid Flash.

"I knew we'd be the last one's here," complained Kid Flash when he saw his friends standing next to their mentors. That's when he noticed a new person standing next to Miko, a young girl with amber colored eyes. "Well hello," Kid Flash flirted, using his super speed to stand in front of Moriko and gripping her hand in his, "The name's Kid Flash. What's your name, Pretty Eyes?"

The female protégé did her absolute best not to laugh in the speedster's face, so instead she pulled her hand back, "Moriko, I'm very flattered but uninterested."

Robin wasn't as modest as Moriko and laughed at his friends expense, "Too bad, KF. She's immune to your charms."

"Dude," Kid Flash screeched to his best friend.

"Come on, Kid," Flash advised his young protégé, "We better go, before she sicks that cat on you."

Kid Flash took a big step away from the giant neko that he somehow overlooked when he arrived. He'd seen the thing on the news with Miko and Moriko and knew it could probably rip him to shreds if he wasn't nice to her master.

As Flash's suggested, everyone headed towards the inside of the Hall of Justice.

The young heroes walked proudly next to their mentors as the paparazzi and civilians took photos of them entering. All talking about their favorite heroes and their sidekicks.

"Is that Batman?"

"Oh I see Flash and Flash Jr."

"His name's Speedy, duh."

"No, Speedy is Green Arrow's side kick."

"…well that makes no sense."

"Hey cool, Miko and her sidekick are here too."

Meanwhile, all the protégés looked around at the building a head of them.

Aqualad was one of the first to speak, "I'm glad we are all here."

They all nodded in agreement, "Have all five sidekicks ever been in the same place at once?" Kid Flash asked a rhetorical question.

"Don't call us sidekicks," Speedy said harshly, "Not after today."

Moriko cringed at the label as well.

They weren't sidekicks, they were protégés.

Protégés training to be heroes.

"Sorry," Kid Flash told his friend, "First time at the Hall. I'm a little overwhelmed."

Robin sighed at the word, "You're overwhelmed. Freeze said he was underwhelmed. Why isn't anybody ever just whelmed?"

Moriko raised a brow, "Is that even a real word?"

"You can look it up?" the Boy Wonder replied

The conversation was cut off as they went through the doors and were face to face with tall statues, honoring the founding members of the Justice League.

Moriko smiled at the statues of her parents standing next to each other.

"Oh…that's why," said Robin staring at the statues.

The door in front of the group was authorized for members only, where J`onn and Red Tornado emerged to greet them.

J`onn glanced at his step-daughter and smiled, as she held a respectful demeanor on the outside but was completely giddy in her mind. "Robin, Speedy, Aqualad, Moriko, Kid Flash," he greeted each young individual, "Welcome." The Martian turned and gestured for the protégés to follow, "You five now have unlimited access to the facility. Including the gym, our fully-stocked galley, and of course our library."

The young hero's eyes widened at the size of the library and sitting area that they just entered.

To satisfy her curiosity, Moriko ran immediately to find a dictionary. A few moments later she found her answer, "Huh, 'whelmed' is in the dictionary." **(AN: Seriously, it's in there.)**

"Told ya," Robin replied triumphantly.

Moriko chuckled as she took in the rest of the room. As overwhelming, errr whelming, as the Hall of Justice was, something kept nagging at Moriko. 'I thought that the Justice League headquarters would be more…I don't know, Headquarter looking,' she said to herself.

J`onn heard his step-daughters thoughts and sighed. He should have known that she'd notice.

"_Of course,"_ Miko replied in J`onn's mind, knowing why he had sighed. _"She notices everything."_

Batman turned to the protégés, "We're going to do a quick debrief of the coincidence of four ice villains attacking on the same day," Flash had informed the others that Captain Cold was the reason why they were late today, bring the total to four ice villains, "We won't be long."

"Make yourselves at home," said the Flash.

The heroes were scanned by the computer, to check identification.

"That's it!" yelled Speedy, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. "You said you were going to give us a real look inside H.Q! Not a glorified backstage pass!"

"It's a first step," Aquaman explained, "You've been given access that only a few others get."

"Really!" Speedy said gesturing to the windows above. Tourist were watching them and were taking pictures with their cameras and phones. "Who cares if we're on the other side of the glass!"

Green Arrow stepped forward to his protégé, "Roy," he said trying to calm his partner down by using his real name, "Just have some patience."

"What we need is respect," Speedy corrected before turning to the other young heroes, "They're treating us like kids…No worse than that, like sidekicks. We deserve better." Moriko, Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad looked at one another, not sure what Speedy was talking about. "You're kidding, right? You're playing their game! Why?" yelled Speedy. "Today was 'The' day. The day we became full-fledged members of the League!"

"Well," Kid Flash spoke first, "I thought the first step of that was a tour of H.Q."

"This isn't the real H.Q!" Speedy yelled, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The young protégé's eyes widened.

That couldn't be true. Their mentors said that they the Hall of Justice was the headquarters of the Justice League. They wouldn't lie to them.

Would they?

"What? They never told you that the Hall is just a false front for tourists and a pit stop for catching Zeta Beam teleporter tubes to the real H.Q. An orbiting satellite called the 'Watchtower," Speedy informed them.

Green Arrow could feel all the glares he was receiving from the other heroes, minus Miko who was mad at herself for not doing what he did. "I know," the archer told his team mates, "I thought we could make an exception."

"No, not just for Speedy," Miko interjected. "They all deserve to see the Watchtower. We promised them."

Batman gave both of them a deadly Bat-glare.

"Or not," said Green Arrow in slight terror by the Dark Knights gaze.

"_Is it true?"_ Moriko asked in her father's mind. A slight nod was her answer from the Martian, "_Were you even going to tell me?"_

"_Your mother wanted to but,"_ Martian Manhunter tried to explain.

Moriko turned her head, not wanting to hear her father's excuses. She thought her parents never lied to her, 'What else have they been keeping from me?'

"You're not helping your case here, son," Aquaman exclaimed to the young archer.

"I'm not your son," Speedy argued, "I'm not even his," he gestured to his mentor, "I thought I was his partner…but not anymore." Speedy took off his hat and tossed it to the ground before heading out the door. As he passed the other protégés he gave a half chuckle, "Guess they're right about you four…you're not ready." The former protégé slammed the doors behind him.

Before another word could be spoken on the matter, an alert sounded on the monitors of the library. Superman appeared on the screen, "Superman, to Justice League. There's been an explosion at Project Cadmus and is now on fire."

Batman contemplated this, "I've had my suspicions about Cadmus. This might be the perfect opportunity to."

Another alert sounded and the hero Zatara appeared on a small screen below Superman, "Zatara to Justice League. The sorcerer Wotan is using the Amulet of Aten to blot out the sun. Requesting full League response."

The heroes turned to Superman for his orders.

"It's a small fire," Superman said, deciding that Cadmus can wait. "The local authorities have it under control."

Batman nodded and pressed a button on the monitor, "All Leaguers rendezvous at Zatara's coordinates. Batman out."

The protégés walked up behind the group of heroes, hoping that they'd take them along.

Instead, Batman turned to them and said, "Stay put."

"What!" yelled Robin.

Moriko looked just as upset, "We can help."

Miko looked at Martian Manhunter and the others desperately for them to agree to let the young heroes go with them. Unfortunately, the other heroes shook their heads no. Honestly, most of them were contemplating if it was even a good idea for the protégés to even join them anymore, after what Speedy had done. The miko looked at her daughter in regret, "I'm sorry, Moriko."

"You're not trained," said Flash.

"Since when?" Kid Flash retorted.

"I mean, you're not trained to work as a part of this team," Flash corrected.

Aquaman nodded in agreement, "There will be other missions. When you're ready."

Moriko rolled her eyes at the last part the Atlanten king had said, 'We can prove that we are, if they'd just let us.'

"For now, stay put," Batman ordered with a Batglare.

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"When we're ready?" yelled Kid Flash after the adult heroes left, "How are we supposed to show them, if they keep treating us like like."

"Sidekicks," Moriko said knocking over a chair in anger. "I can't believe Miko, of all people, would keep this secret from me." Kirara rubbed her head on Moriko's arm. Moriko rubbed the neko's ears as a reflex.

Aqualad looked down in distraught, "At least your mentor attempted to let us join…My mentor…my king…I thought he trusted me."

"They don't even trust 'us' with the basics," Kid Flash argued, "Like an H.Q. In. Space."

Aqualad sighed, "It makes me wonder, what else they are not telling us?"

"Here's a better question," said Robin, "Why didn't we leave with Speedy?"

None of them answered.

They were silent for a few moments before Aqualad spoke again, "What is…Project Cadmus?"

"I don't know," said Robin before he looked at the computer, "But I can find out."

Robin walked over to the computer and began to hack into the system.

"_Access Denied,"_ said the computer.

"Want a bet," taunted the Boy Wonder.

"I like the way you think Robin-chan," Moriko said impressed.

"Hey," Robin warned her with a glare, knowing that '–chan' was used for kids in Japan.

"Sorry," she said in mock worry, "Robin-kun."

"Better," the Boy Wonder said satisfied, as he continued to work the system, "Ah ha, the same system as the Batcave."

"_Access Granted,"_ said the computer.

"Let's see," said Robin looking though the files, "Project Cadmus. It's a genetics lab here in D.C…that's all there is."

Moriko raised a brow, "That can't be all that's going on. Not if the League bothered putting a file on the place"

"Well," said Robin, "If Batman's suspicious, then we," he emphasized on all of them, "Should investigate."

Aqualad smirked, "Solving the case before the League does. It would be poetic justice," but the responsible part of his personality made him frown, "But they told us to stay put."

"For the blotting-out-the-sun mission," Robin clarified, "Not this."

Kid Flash understood where Robin was getting at, "Wait, are you going to Cadmus? Cause if you're going, I'm going."

Robin nodded before looking to Moriko, "You in?"

Moriko looked over at Aqualad, and saw the torn look on his face, "They told us to stay put," she said before giving a mischievous smile that would have made her big brother Shippo proud, "But they didn't say for how long."

Aqualad was still a little unconvinced, "Just like that, we're a team?"

"Why not? It worked for them," Moriko gestured to where the Justice League left.

Robin nodded in agreement, "We didn't come today for a play date."

That was good enough for Aqualad, who smirked.

"So, I have no problem getting to Cadmus on my own, but what about the rest of you?" Kid Flash asked.

"Oh we got a way," Moriko said before looking at Kirara. The neko gave her charge a scornful look. "Come on Kirara, please," she begged while putting her hands together pleading. The neko shook her head no. Kirara's job was to guard Moriko, and she wouldn't go against her master's wishes. "I'll give you two fresh fish when we get home," Moriko bribed, which made the neko's eyes widen with temptation but still hesitantly shook her head. "Alright, three," Moriko gave in.

The neko yōkai's eyes widened in delight and finally nodded.

"Arigato, Kirara," Moriko said patting her head and getting on her back, "Okay, you two can get on."

Aqualad didn't hesitate and got on the neko behind Moriko, he was used to riding animals all the time in Atlantis.

Robin was a little more skeptical, "Uh, are you sure she can take all of us."

"Yes," Moriko said not seeing what was wrong. Until she realized the real reason for his reluctance, "You're not scarred are you?"

"No," Robin said in offence and waited a few moments before he worked up the nerve to get on Kirara, in front of Moriko.

Kid Flash put on his goggles and gave his friends two thumbs up, "Alright see you there," he said before speeding off.

"Let's go Kirara," Moriko ordered her guardian. The fire neko, roared and took off out the Hall of Justice. The moment yōkai reached outside she flew into the sky, startling a few of her 'passengers'.

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_Project Cadmus_

The building was surrounded by flames, and the fire department did their best to control the flames.

"Help us," yelled one of the workers trapped inside, on the top floor of the facility.

"Remain calm," said one of the fire fighters, "We'll get you out."

Suddenly, an explosion from behind the workers forced them out the window and down to the ground.

Kid Flash ran to the falling victims. With enough speed he ran up the building and grabbed both men before throwing them on to the roof and out of harm's way. Before Kid Flash could fall himself, he grabbed the window seal that the men were in moments ago, the flames already died down from the blast.

"Hey, it's Flash Boy," cheered one of the firefighters.

"It's Kid Flash," corrected the speedster a little annoyed, "What's so hard to remember about that?"

"Smooth move KF," Robin laughed from above as Kirara lowered to the window.

"Get inside," said Moriko, "We'll take the workers to safety," she told the boys. They all nodded and made their way in.

Kirara got close to the edge to allow the workers to get on her, with Moriko's encouragement they jumped on the neko and were safely lowered to the ground.

"Thank you," one of the workers said in gratitude.

Moriko nodded and flew back up to meet up with the boys.

After her charge jumped inside, Kirara transformed into her smaller form to fit inside the window and hoped onto Moriko's shoulder.

"Where are you?" Moriko called.

"Over here," called Robin, already hacking the computer.

Kid Flash was looking through cabinet files.

Aqualad was searching the premises, before he looked down the hallway. That's when he saw an open elevator with someone inside.

No not someone…something.

The doors shut and announced it was going down.

"What is it, Aqualad?" Moriko asked the Atlantean.

"There was something there," he informed pointing to the elevator.

Kid Flash came up behind them, "Elevators should be locked down," the speedster said, as Robin followed the group.

The Boy Wonder looked at the elevator and noticed something amiss, "This isn't right," he activated his wrist computer on his glove and did a scan of the elevator. "This is a high-speed express elevator. It shouldn't be in a two story building."

"Neither is what I saw," said Aqualad as he walked up and pushed the elevator doors open with his super strength.

The rest of the protégés looked down and saw the elevator shaft went much farther down then one floor.

"And that's why they need the express elevator," said Robin. Without thinking twice, the Boy Wonder shot his grappling gun to the ceiling and jumped down the shaft.

"Batman always gives the cool tools," said Moriko as she jumped on to the line from the grappling gun, and slid down to follow Robin. Aqualad and Kid Flash followed behind her.

Unfortunately, Robin's grappling hook line didn't go all the way down. It stopped on the door labeled SL 25. 'Good a place as any,' thought Robin as he jumped to the edge of the elevator shaft wall and began to bypass security.

Moriko, Aqualad and Kid Flash managed to find a place next to the elevator shaft wall.

"Bypassing…bypassing," Robin mumbled before he hacked the security, "Okay, we're good."

Aqualad used his strength to open the door once again.

All the teenaged heroes exited the elevator and saw the real Project Cadmus.

With her inu yōkai nose, Moriko felt a foreign scent hit her nose. "What the hell is that smell?" she complained and covered her nose with her hand.

"What smell?" Robin asked confused, not smelling anything.

On an impulse, Kid Flash ran out down the hallway with his super-speed.

"Kid don't," warned Aqualad.

Kid Flash was looking left and right seeing what he could find. He had no idea that he would actually run in the way of something.

Strange giant creatures began to make their way down the hallway, and the speedster barely managed to slow down enough to not be stumbled by their gigantic feet.

Aqualad, Robin and Moriko all finally caught up to see what was causing the ruckus when creatures walked by them, unaffected by their presents.

"Oh…that's what it was," Moriko said to the group. Kirara meowed in agreement, having smelt them too.

As the creatures walked by, another, smaller being was riding the giant creatures looked down at the teenaged heroes. Its eyes glowed red as it looked into their eyes.

"Nothing odd here," said Aqualad sarcastically, entranced by the creatures in front of them.

As the creatures marched out of the hallway and into another room. A door slammed behind them.

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The young heroes opened the door that the creatures entered, that Robin used his glove computer to unlock.

Inside the room made their jaws drop.

"Okay, I'm officially whelmed," said Robin.

Hundreds of giant pods were stacked over the room. Inside the pods were small unidentifiable creatures, sparking electricity out of their bodies.

"That's how they're hiding the real Cadmus," Kid Flash said in realization, "Its generating power from these…things. Cadmus must have created them."

"Indeed," said Aqualad in agreement, "Even in myth, the Cadmus created a new race by sowing dragon's teeth into the earth."

"So Cadmus is creating new life too," said Robin as he hooked his glove up into a computer nearby, "Let's find out why." It only took a few moments for him to hack into the system, "Their called Genomorphs. Man, they got a whole lot of states on these things. Super-strength, telepathy, razor claws…they're living weapons."

Moriko pressed her hand against the glass of one of the pods. The Genomorph's eyes opened slightly and then closed as if in pain. "This is barbaric," Moriko said saddened for these poor beings.

"Their making an army," Kid Flash hypothesized Cadmus's plan.

"But for what?" questioned Moriko.

Robin continued to search, "Hold on, I've got something else. It's called Project K-r…Damn it, it's triple-encrypted. I can't get in."

"Don't move!" yelled someone at the end of the hall, startling the young heroes. A man ran down the hall with at least a dozen different Genomorphs, and one was sitting on the man's shoulder. They were ready to attack when the man stopped, "Wait a second…Robin? Aqualad? Kid Flash? And Moriko?"

Aqualad recognized the man, "I know you. You're Guardian, a hero."

"I try," said Guardian.

"Wait, what are you doing at Cadmus?" asked Kid Flash.

"I'm Chief of Security," answered Guardian. "And you're trespassing. I'm going to have to call the Justice League."

"Oh, great," mumbled Moriko, 'I'm probably going to be grounded for a year for this,' she dreaded in her mind.

Kid Flash wasn't so worried about getting in trouble, "You think the League is going to approve of you working for a place that breeds weapons."

"Weapons?" said Guardian confused, "What are you?...Wait…what am I doing?" Guardian suddenly groaned as he tried to make sense of what was going on. The Genomorph, on the hero's shoulder, horns glowed as it used his telepathy to manipulate the hero's thoughts. Guardian's eyes changed to anger, "Take them down hard," he ordered the Genomorphs, "No mercy."

The Genomorphs began to charge at the heroes.

Thinking fast, Robin threw a smoke pellet to the ground, surprising the Genomorphs and his friends.

With the distraction, the young heroes had an upper hand fighting against the Genomorphs.

Moriko summoned her yōkai claws and began to slice the Genomorphs who tried to attack her. She may have felt sorry for these creatures, but she wasn't going to let them take her down that easily.

Kirara returned to her large yōkai form and attacked the Genomorphs as well.

As soon as they could manage, the young heroes made their way to an elevator door, where Robin was busy trying to hack open, labeled SL- 26.

"A little warning would have been nice," Moriko criticized to Robin, regarding the sudden smoke pellet.

"Yeah, way to be a team player," said Kid Flash.

"Weren't you behind me?" asked Robin as if they were supposed to follow him.

Aqualad came running down the hall being chased by the remaining Genomorphs.

"Got it," said Robin opening the elevator door.

Kid Flash, Moriko, the smaller formed Kirara, and Robin ran inside waiting for their friend.

Aqualad managed to tuck and roll inside the elevator before the doors closed and the Genomorphs caught up to him.

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"We're going down?" questioned Aqualad as he saw the elevators number indicating that they were going down.

Kid Flash looked at Robin as if he were crazy, "Dude, out is up."

"Yes, but Project K-r is down. On S-Level 52," replied Robin.

Moriko sighed and banged the back of her head lightly against the wall, "We're in way over our heads already."

Aqualad rubbed the back of his neck, "Perhaps…we should call in the League."

Before anyone could respond, the elevator stopped at S-Level 52 and opened its doors.

The young heroes braced themselves for anything.

But they were still surprised to see the hallways walls to be covered in some type of pink flesh that resembled the back of someone's throat.

"Eww," was all Moriko could say, by the sight and smell.

Getting over the shock, Robin ran out the elevator.

Kid Flash shrugged, "We're already here," he told the others before following his friend.

Aqualad and Moriko looked at each other and sighed at the fact that they were now the sensible ones in the group. Moriko went out first and followed the younger protégés with Aqualad behind her.

They all ran until they came to a fork in the hallway.

"So, which bizarre hallway should we take?" asked Robin.

"Halt," ordered a Genomorph that came out of the shadows. It was the exact one that was in the elevator that led them down here. This Genomorph was different than the ones the young heroes saw before. This one was wearing cloths, as if he were a scientist or doctor. The Genomorph's eyes and horns glowed red, as he used his psychic powers to throw barrels and equipment at the young heroes.

The heroes dodged the assaults and ran down the hallway that wasn't occupied by the Genomorph.

The very hallway that the Genomorph wanted them to go down.

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Kid Flash used his super speed to scout ahead to make sure the hallway was safe.

Unfortunately, a scientist was leaving her post and was in the path of the speedster.

Kid Flash ran into the woman causing them both to fall to the ground. The speedster was the first to recover and noticed the doors that were closing before him was labeled Project KR. In order to block the door the speedster used a heavy metal object nearby to stall them.

Robin, Moriko and Aqualad came around the corner being chased by some Genomorphs.

"Hurry," yelled Kid Flash to his friends before he jumped inside.

Moriko jumped in first, followed by Robin and Aqualad who knocked the object out of the ways and make the doors shut.

Finally, the heroes could catch their breath. Robin used his glove computer to lock and disable the door. "We're safe."

"We're trapped," Aqualad corrected.

"Remind me again, why I thought this was a good idea?" Moriko asked the boys.

"Uhh guys," Kid Flash said getting their attention. The speedster was face to face with something he couldn't believe existed. "You'll wanna see this."

'What now?' Moriko mentally whined, hoping that it wasn't another Genomorph.

Kid Flash pressed a button on the control panel in front of him, which made the lights go brighter.

In front of the young heroes was another pod, only it didn't a Genomoprh. It was a young person wearing a white outfit with a symbol on its chest that the protégés knew very well.

Superman's symbol.

This was Project K-r.

**Dun dun duuuuun. This may not be my best chapter but better ones are on the way. So what do you guys think? Next time: Meeting Superboy and a new team is formed. **

**Till Then My Readers **


	3. The Will to Live

To Be a Hero

**A special shout out to: sverhei, BatmanFanatic123,**** I****nu-Hanyou2016, Angel4EverLostInLife, MyworldMyImagination,** **SailorJupiter001, Guest, chibi-no-baka, Kitsune's Den,** **Applejax XD,** **rspringb for your awesome reviews. And thanks a ton to: KEdakumi, sverhei, Sir Isaac of Clarke, Nightwing1493, Angel4EverLostInLife, bluephoenixflame98, fandomenforcer, Flower Blossoms, Yuki101, bystanderwitnessing,** **Tomtakahic, MoonlightWolf16, SailorJupiter001, greenling, Moonbeamluver,** **Applejax XD,** **Wicken25, Anime hotty lover.18, Clockwork's Apprentice, kyuubi archsage,** **RJ Morre, WolfDog-King, AgnetCoCo and everyone who's following and/or favoriting my story. You all rock! **

Disclaimer: (I won't do it…you can't make me….grr) I do not own Inuyasha or Young Justice. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and the Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. The only character I own is Moriko/Karin. I make no profit off this fanfic. Please don't sue me. (There, happy now! *runs off crying*)

Chapter 3: The Will to Live

Kid Flash walked up the pod that held the young teenager inside, "Wait, a big K and little r," he read the letters on the glass of the pod. "That's the atomic symbol for Krypton."

Moriko looked intently at the features of the young person inside the pod, 'He looks just like him,' she thought referring to Superman, 'Only...cuter.' She shook her head of the thought, "Who is he?" she asked.

"He's a clone," Kid Flash made an educated guess.

"Robin," Aqualad turned to the Boy Wonder, "Hack."

Not needing to be told twice, the youngest protégé began to look through the Project K-R file, "Weapon designation Superboy. A clone force-grown in…16 weeks! From DNA acquired from Superman!"

"Stolen from Superman," Aqualad corrected.

"How the hell did they get Superman's DNA?" Moriko asked in disbelief, "He's the Man of Steel for Kami sake."

"There is no way the Big Guy knows about this," Kid Flash concluded.

Robin continued to look through the files, "The suit he's wearing is a solar suit that allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation 24/7."

Aqualad looked at the Genomorphs above the pod, "And those?"

"Genomorph-Gnomes, they're telepathic and force-feeding him an education," Robin answered.

"So they're making a slave out of," Kid Flash accused, before thinking of the correct thing to call Superboy, "Superman's son."

Aqualad had heard enough, "Now we need to contact the League."

Each young hero tried to contact their mentors with their communicators, but there was no signal from so far underground.

"We're in too deep," said Kid Flash, "Literally."

"Hold on," Moriko said while closing her eyes.

"What are you doing?" asked Robin.

"Trying to call Martian Manhunter with my mind," she said trying to concentrate.

"You're telepathic?" asked Kid Flash.

Moriko shook her head, "No but he'll come if I 'call' him," she said before trying to contact her step-father, _"Outo-san! Outo-san, if you can hear me, I need your help. We're at Cadmus H.Q that's underground and we need help."_ Moriko opened her eyes, and groaned in frustration, "Damn it, the one time I actually want him in my head and he's can't hear me."

The boys looked down in defeat.

Kid Flash looked at the pod that held Superboy, "This is wrong."

Robin nodded, "We can't leave him here."

"Who says we are?" Moriko said folding her arms. Leaving Superboy was definitely not an option, "We have to free him."

Aqualad turned to Robin, "Do it."

With a few key strokes, Robin unlocked the pod.

As soon as the glass was lifted, Superboy clenched his hands into fists and opened his eyes.

Without warning, the clone lunged at Aqualad with super strength and speed. Once on top of his body, Superboy repeatedly punched the Atlatean in the face.

Kid Flash, Moriko and Robin all went to aid Aqualad.

"Whoa!" said Kid Flash trying to hold back one of Superboy's arms.

"We're on your side," yelled Robin as he hoped on the Kryptonian clone's back.

Moriko grabbed hold of Superboy's other arm, before he could punch Aqualad again.

Superboy loosed Kid Flash's grip and punched hard enough to make him fly back a few yards.

"Calm down," Moriko urged Superboy.

Robin used this moment to throw a smoke pellet into Superboy's face. With clone's sudden shortness of breath, Aqualad kicked him off his body.

Before Superboy could regain himself, Robin used his tazor gun to try and subdue him. The shocks barley tickled the clone and he grabbed hold of the electrified wires, yanked the Boy Wonder towards him and threw the young protégé onto the ground. Air was knocked out of the Boy Wonder's lungs, while Superboy stomped his foot onto the boys chest.

Moriko and the fully grown Kirara both rammed into Superboy's side, forcing him off of Robin. The female protégé wrestled with Superboy until she was straddling him and forcing one of his arms down with both her hands, while Kirara held down the second with her mouth. The Kryptonian clone didn't twitch when the yōkai's teeth pierced his skin. "Submit," Moriko growled.

Superboy looked at the girls amber eyes and paused in his actions, making Moriko loosened her grip. With her distracted he managed to use his super-strength to throw her and Kirara into a nearby wall, knocking them both out cold.

"Enough!" yelled Aqualad as he used his mystical powers to create a hammer, and hit Superboy. Forcing the clone to hit the ground, "We're trying to help you!"

Superboy continued his assault against the Atlantean.

Aqualad managed to wrap Superboy in a full nelson, thinking he could force him to stop. The Kryptonian clone used his strength to jump towards the ceiling and smashed Aqualad between rock and his super strengthened body.

Once they returned to the ground, Aqualad was knocked out.

Finished with the intruders, Superboy walked over to the door and broke it open.

The lead scientist, Dr. Desmond, looked at what his creation had done and smirked, "Atta boy."

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_One Hour Later _

"_Time runs short,"_ said a male voice in the protégé's minds, _"You must awaken…awaken now!"_

All the young heroes awoke at the same time.

Just like Superboy, the young heroes were locked inside pods, only their arms were locked above them. And standing in front of them, with no emotional expression, was Superboy.

"What? What do you want?" Kid Flash yelled at the Kryptonian clone. Superboy raised a brow. "Stop staring! You're creeping me out!"

"Uh KF," Robin interject, "Maybe you shouldn't piss off the guy who can fry us with a look."

Moriko pulled on her restraints trying to get free. 'No good,' she grumbled. She looked at the other protégés and saw all were accounted for, all except, "Kirara?" she said with worry. "Where's my friend?" she asked Superboy. The Kryptonian clone glanced to Moriko before he gestured to a table next to him. A small wounded fire neko was locked inside of a cage. "Kirara," Moriko whispered with sadness.

Superboy winced at the hurt in Moriko's voice and eyes. He didn't like seeing her like that.

"We were trying to help you," Aqualad said calmly to Superboy, bring the clone out of his dismay.

"We free you, and you turn on us," yelled Kid Flash furiously, "How's that for gratitude!"

"Enough Kid," Aqualad urged the speedster, "I believe our new friend was not in full control of his actions."

Superboy glared at Aqualad, "What if I…what if I wasn't?" he asked the Cadmus intruders.

Kid Flash's eyes widened, "'He' can talk?"

The Kryptonian clone's fist tightened, "Yes, 'HE' can."

The protégés turned their heads to the speedster, "What? I didn't say 'it'," Kid Flash defended.

"You implied it," Moriko argued, "Which is just as rude."

Aqualad turned back to Superboy, "The Genomorphs taught you, telepathically."

"They taught me much," Superboy replied, "I can read, write, and I know the names of things."

"But have you seen them?" asked Robin curiously. "Have they let you seen the sky…or the sun?"

Superboy shook his head, "Images are implanted in my mind…But no, I have not seen them."

"Do you know what you are?" asked Aqualad.

"Who you are?" Moriko corrected the question.

The young Kryptonian stood up straight and recited his answer as if it was scripted, "I am the Superboy. A Genomorph. A clone made from the DNA of the Superman. Created to replace him should he perish. To destroy him, should he turn from the 'Light'."

"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration," alleged Aqualad, "But like Superman you deserve a life of your own. Beyond the solar suit. Beyond that pod. Beyond Cadmus."

Superboy glared at the Atlantean, "I exist because of Cadmus."

"Big deal," retorted Moriko, "Just because Cadmus created you, doesn't mean they can tell you how to live your life."

"Cadmus is my home!" Superboy argued.

"Your home is a test tube," Robin revised, "We can show you the sun."

"Uh," Kid Flash interrupted, "I'm pretty sure it's after midnight. But hey, we could show you the moon," he said the last part to Superboy.

"We could introduce you to Superman," Aqualad offered.

Moriko looked at the Superboy with pleading eyes, "Superman's your father. He's the real reason you're here."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Dr. Desmond entered, with Guardian and a female scientist. "They'll be otherwise occupied. Activate the cloning process," he told his colleague.

"Say what?" Moriko said in shock.

"Pass," Robin yelled his view, "The Bat-cave's crowded enough."

Dr. Desmond turned his gaze to Guardian, "Get the Weapon back in its pod," he ordered.

"Hey," called out Kid Flash, "How come he gets to call Supey an 'it'?"

Guardian came up to Superboy trying to guide him away from the sidekicks, by putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Help us," urged Aqualad.

Superboy shrugged off Guardian's hand.

"Oh, don't start thinking now," Dr. Desmond said annoyed. One of the Genomorph-Gnomes jumped off the doctors shoulder and onto Superboy's, telepathically forcing the clone to listen, "You're not a real boy. You are a weapon. And you belong to me." The doctor took a moment to rethink that last part, "Well, to Cadmus. But it's the same thing! Now get back to your pod!"

Superboy walked out of the room, obeying his orders.

"Wait," Moriko called to him, "Onegai, come back," she begged.

Dr. Desmound nodded to his colleague to start the process.

The female scientist activated the process of receiving DNA from its host.

Mechanical arms appeared inside each pod and began painfully extracting DNA, by using electricity.

Robin, Moriko, Kid Flash and Aqualad began to scream in pain.

"And what about the cat?" the female scientist asked.

"We'll harness its DNA, as well," Dr. Desmond decided, "We'll use it to create new Genomorphs. Where is Dubbilex?"

The Genomorph emerged from the shadows. The same one that led the sidekicks to Project K-R.

"Get the G-Gnomes downloading their memories," Dr. Desmond ordered, "Once, that's done, delete the source material."

The female scientist nodded in understanding. Their bosses made their orders clear: Clone the sidekicks, then kill them.

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Superboy continued to walk back to his room. Contemplating on what the things the intruders had said to him, especially Moriko.

"Superboy," said the faint voice of Aqualad, which Superboy picked up with his super hearing. The Atlantean was wincing in pain from the 'downloading' process. "You're alive. That gives you the right to follow your own path. A weapon or a person? The choice is yours. But ask yourself…what would Superman do?"

Superboy paused mid step, 'What do I do?'

Suddenly, the sound of Moriko's screaming hit the clone's ears.

That's when Superboy made his decision.

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The scientist waited patiently for the process to be completed.

Suddenly, a banging noise startled them and they turned to see Superboy tearing out the metal door.

The electrical malfunction was enough for the downloading process on the protégés to cease.

Moriko looked up at Superboy and smiled in relief, 'He came back.'

"I told you to get back in your pod!" Dr. Desmond yelled as he, the female scientist, Dubblliex, and Guardian confronted the clone.

Superboy pushed them away, with no effort, and they all flew into the walls of the room. "Don't give me orders," he threatened.

Kid Flash looked at Superboy warily, "So, are you gonna help us or fry us?"

The Kryptonian glared at the speedster for a moment, "Hmm I don't have heat vision. So, I suppose helping is my only option."

Suddenly, the locks and pod that held Robin were released, "Finally," the Boy Wonder said relieved, as he massaged his wrists. He'd been working on escaping since their talk with Superboy, "Lucky Batman isn't here. He'd have my head for taking so long."

"Seriously, that's what you're worried about?" Kid Flash asked in disbelief, "The whole League will have our heads after tonight!"

"Yes, but in order for them to do that, we have to get out of here alive," Moriko stated.

Robin went to the controls to free the others. The pods opened put the restraints did not.

"You get Aqualad and Moriko," ordered Robin, "I'll get Kid Mouth."

"Don't you give me orders either," Superboy warned before jumping on the pod that held Aqualad. He broke the restraints with a clench of his fist.

"Thank you," said Aqualad gratefully.

Superboy jumped to Moriko next, "I'm glad you chose to live," she said happy for him. He paused for a moment before breaking her restraints. Moriko was a little unsteady on her feet, and Superboy tried to hold her up. "I'll be okay," she assured him, before going to cage that held Kirara.

A pad lock was on the door, and she had no patience for looking for a key. So, the female protégé used both her hands and yōkai strength to break the lock.

"Whoa," said Kid Flash impressed by what she'd done once he was free, "Someone eats their spinach."

Moriko gently pulled fire neko from the cage, and cradled her in her arms, "Kirara, did they hurt you?" Kirara meowed softly and shook her head to answer. Her shoulder was dislocated and she had many bumps and bruises on her body, but nothing her master couldn't heal.

"Will Kirara be alright?" asked Aqualad.

Superboy looked away a little ashamed that he caused so much pain for the strange looking cat and the sidekicks.

Moriko nodded, "She'll be fine. Miko can heal her."

"Then let's get out of here," said Robin.

The young heroes and Cadmus clone all ran out the door as fast as they could. Dr. Desmond regained consciousness just in time to see them leave, "You'll never get out of here! I'll have you back in your pods by morning!"

"That guy is not whelmed at all," Robin said before throwing his Robin shuriken at the pods that held his and the rest of the protégés DNA.

"What is it with you and this 'whelmed' thing?" Kid Flash asked the Boy Wonder.

"Are you seriously discussing this now?" Moriko asked skeptically, before the shuriken exploded. Destroying all the DNA Cadmus collected from them today.

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"We're still 42 levels below ground," Aqualad told the other young heroes while running, "We got to get to the elevator."

A few moments later the elevator was in their sight and so were giant Genomorphs blocking their path.

The sound of snarling from behind caught their attention, and Genomorphs began to come out of hibernation in the walls and began to charge at the young heroes.

Moriko tucked Kirara on her shoulder, and kept her under her hood. Then dodged a giant Genomorph's closed fisted punch into the ground, right where she was standing.

Kid Flash, Aqualad, Moriko and Robin all managed to get to the other side of the hall, to get to the elevator. However, Superboy was fighting every single Genomorph in his range of fists.

"Superboy," yelled Aqualad, "The goal is to escape, not bury us all alive," he gestured to the daubery falling from the ceiling when Superboy punched the Genomorphs into the walls.

"You want escape!" yelled Superboy, before throwing a giant Genomorph into the final three.

Aqualad sighed before he ran to the elevator and open it with his super strength.

Kid Flash went in first, to the side of the elevator shaft.

Robin shot his grappling gun to a higher level in the elevator shaft wall, and went up.

Superboy came up behind Aqualad and Moriko, grabbed them around their waists and jumped high into the air flying.

Or he attempted.

After only going a dozen levels, Superboy began to fall.

"I-I'm falling," Superboy said confused.

Thinking quickly Moriko released her yōkai claws and scrapped them against the metal wall slowing down their fall.

Robin threw one of his shuriken at the wall, which Aqualad grabbed to stop him and the others falling completely.

Moriko winced from the cuts she now had underneath her nails, "Okay, not the best idea."

Superboy looked at her, feeling guilty that she had to do that all because, "I can't fly…Superman can fly…why can't I?"

"Don't know," replied Kid Flash, "But you 'can' leap tall buildings in a single bound. That's still cool."

The trio jumped down from their place on the elevator shaft wall and onto the ledge.

"Thank you," Superboy said to Aqualad and Moriko.

The sound of an approaching elevator hit all their ears.

"Guys, this has to be our exit," Robin warned.

Superboy and Aqualad both punched the door that led to S-Level 15. Everyone got out of the shaft in time before the elevator passed them.

Unfortunately, more Genomorphs were waiting on this level.

"Oh come on," Moriko complained before she and the boys made a break for it down an unoccupied hallway.

As they ran for their lives Superboy heard something in his mind. _"Tell them to turn left,"_ said a male voice. Deciding to trust the voice, he warned the others. "Go left."

The young heroes turned to the left and ran down the hallway.

"_Turn right,"_ the voice told Superboy.

"Right," said Superboy.

They all turned right, which lead to a dead end.

"Great directions, Supey," Kid Flash said sarcastically, "Are you trying to get us re-podded?"

"No," said Superboy, "I don't understand." Why would that voice lead them here?

"Don't' apologize," said Robin gleefully as he pointed to the air vent.

"A classic," Moriko said impressed before pulling the cover off the vent and jumping inside. The boys followed behind her.

Kid Flash sighed in frustration as they crawled in the vent, "At this rate, we'll never get out."

"Shhh," warned Superboy to the speedster, hearing a noise echoing in the air shaft, "Listen."

Moriko picked up the noise with her yōkai hearing, "Oh no."

"What?" Kid Flash asked.

Suddenly, the sneering sounds of Genomorphs hit their ears.

"Oh," said Kid Flash in realization.

"Keep going," Aqualad urged Moriko forward. She and the boys moved as fast as they could in the cramped space.

"Exit at the next air vent opening," ordered Robin.

Moriko did as she was told, knocked out the air vent cover, and hopped to the floor. "Why here?" she asked.

"Cause I just deactivated the internal security cameras," Robin replied, being the last one to hop out of the air vent. "And, I just hacked the motion sensors."

"Sweet," Kid Flash praised.

Robin nodded as they opened the door to the staircase, "But they still have plenty of 'them' between us and the way out."

"Yeah," Kid Flash said unworried, "But I got room to move," He said before taking off with his super-speed. Knocking out any Genomorph that was on the stair case.

"Show off," Moriko yelled as they all ran up the stairs and saw the unconscious Genomorphs.

"There are more behind us," Robin warned.

Superboy turned and used his super strength to make the stair case bellow crumble beneath his stomping foot. He turned to Moriko, who was staring in surprise, "Well…Fine, that was impressive," she admitted.

Superboy chuckled in response.

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Kid Flash continued to use his super-speed until he reached the hallway of Sub-Level 1, and ran face first into a metal door that blocked the hallway to the exit.

"We're blocked from the street," said Aqualad once he and the others.

"Thanks, my head didn't notice," Kid Flash replied sarcastically while rubbing his sore head.

Superboy tried to open the door with his super strength, but to no avail. Aqualad and Moriko joined in the pursuit, but the metal door wouldn't budge.

"I can't hack this fast enough," Robin warned as he attempted to open the door electronically.

Giant Genomorphs came in from behind the young heroes.

Giving up on the hacking, Robin knocked down a door nearby, "This way."

The others followed the Boy Wonder.

And stopped once they reached a barricade of different Genomorphs and Guardian.

The young heroes took their fighting stances, before the genomorph-gnomes used their telepathic powers to make the protégé's and neko fall unconscious without any fuss.

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Dubbilex emerged from the barricade of his brothers and looked at Superboy. _"Perhaps, for the sake of all Genomorphs, our brother should make up his own mind." _

Superboy awoke when Dubbilex released him from the telepathic hold. _"It was you,"_ he said to Dubbliexs mind, all of the events were making sense to him now.

"_Yes, brother,"_ answered Dubbliex, _"I set the fire to Cadmus. And lured your new friends down here. And I awoke them when they were in danger."_

"_And you guided me,"_ Superboy finished understanding, "_But why?"_

Dubbliex gestured to all the other Genomorphs, _"Because you're our only hope, the Genomorph hero. You will blaze a trail for all our brothers, showing us the way to freedom."_

Guardian groaned, awakening form his telepathic trance, "Wha-what's going on?"

The other young heroes began to awaken from their slumber as well.

"_What is your choice, brother?" _asked Dubbliex.

Superboy didn't hesitate to answer out loud, "I choose freedom," he helped Moriko get up from the ground. "I choose to live," he said to her, which made her smile behind his mask.

Guardian was attempting to make sense of what was going on in his mind. Something he hadn't done for, he didn't even know how long, "Feels like...fog lifting."

"Guardian?" asked Aqualad, wondering where to go from here.

"Go," the older hero ordered, "I'll deal with Desmond."

"I think not," said Desmond emerging from the Genomorphs. He held up a test tube filled with a mysterious blue glowing liquid. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus." He chugged down the liquid.

Moriko sighed, "I'm probably going to regret asking, but what the hell is Project Blockbuster?"

Guardian shrugged, "Not a clue. But I think we're about to find out."

Desmond began to painfully morph into a horrible creature. His skin began to tear off as gray scales began to appear underneath. His eyes went red as he grew over ten feet tall.

"Get back," Guardian warned the protégés as he charged towards Blockbuster.

Project Blockbuster swatted the only adult hero in the room as if he were a mere bug.

Superboy charged next punching Blockbuster in the face. Project Blockbuster punched him back, forcing the clone to back up a few steps. Superboy continue his assault, as he punched Blockbuster numerously in the face. Project Blockbuster, finally fed up with the clone's attacks, grabbed Superboy, and pushed them through the ceiling, up to street level.

"Well," said Robin, "That's one way to bust through the ceiling." He shot his grappling gun to the street level.

"Do you think Lab Coat planned that?" asked Kid Flash, before Robin grabbed his arm to give him a lift up.

"I doubt he's planning anything anymore," answered Aqualad.

"Baka," Moriko said, before using her yōkai agility to jump to street level. Aqualad followed behind her.

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Up top, Blockbuster and Superboy were still in the middle of the boxing match. Till, Blockbuster finally got the upper hand and threw Superboy into Aqualad, forcing both boys to fly back a few yards. Once the fallen had regained their footing, all the protégés stood in a line before charging at the creature.

Kid Flash used his super speed to go under Blockbuster's leg, to get behind him. Superboy and Aqualad used their fists to punch the creature back. Kid Flash used this chance to bend over and have Blockbuster trip over him.

"Learned that one in kindergarten," the speedster said arrogantly.

Robin and Moriko appeared behind Kid Flash and jumped in the air. Robin threw his shuriken and Moriko did a spinning back kick to blockbuster's head.

Nothing they tried took Project Blockbuster down.

"We need a plan," Moriko told Robin once she recovered from being thrown like a boomerang from the other side of the room.

The Boy Wonder looked as Blockbuster kept slamming Superboy into one of the many pillars.

'Wait, the pillars,' the Boy Wonder realized. "That's it! K.F, get over here!" called Robin.

The speedster ran to his friend, "What have you got?"

"We need to weaken those pillars," said Robin.

"But won't that bring down the building?" asked Moriko.

Robin smirked, "Exactly. Kid Flash distract Blockbuster. Moriko, damage those pillars," he ordered pointing to the two in question.

She nodded understanding and used her yōkai claws to slice the brick, right off the pillars.

Meanwhile, Robin informed Aqualad and Superboy on what to do, before he drew a giant X on the ground of exactly where Blockbuster needed to stand.

Aqualad used his mystical water to cover the floor, and Superboy forced the creature back to stand on the X.

Once there, the Atlantean used his powers to electrify the water, causing Blockbuster to cry out in agony.

"Move!" yelled Robin once he was done placing his exploding shuriken in all the damaged pillars.

As soon as they exploded, the building began to fall on Blockbuster and the young heroes.

Realizing that she wouldn't make it out in time Moriko stopped, grabbed Kirara from her shoulder, and shielded her with her body. Flash and Robin, covered Moriko with their bodies trying to protect her, followed by Superboy and Aqualad, shielding the weaker built teenagers.

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For a few brief moments, Moriko thought that she was dead. Until the boys weight was lifted off of her body and she began to breathe fresh air, after Superboy pushed the rubble off of them.

They stopped Blockbuster. Granted they were a bit banged up and their cloths were torn, but still: They had won.

"We did it," said an out of breath Aqualad.

"Was there any doubt?" teased Robin who was just as out of breath. Kid Flash chuckled and gave his young friend a high five, only to have them both groan in pain from their injuries.

Slowly, Moriko tried to stand, "See Kirara, that wasn't so bad." Kirara meowed at her charge, giving her a 'are you kidding me,' look.

"Hey look," Kid Flash said getting Superboy's attention. "The moon," he pointed to the full circled orb in the sky.

As Superboy looked at the moon for the first time, he felt true freedom. Then with his vision he saw someone flying towards him.

The very person who he wanted to meet since waking up, Superman.

"Do we keep our promises or what?" teased Kid Flash, once he saw the Man of Steel.

Suddenly, more heroes of the League came down to the young protégés. Some flew, some hovered, and others arrived thanks to the Green Lanterns' rings. All of them with neutral looks on their faces.

Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Miko, and Martian Manhunter went into the ditch to check on their wards.

Superboy was the first of the teenagers to make a move, as he walked up to Superman and showed his the Kryptonian symbol on his chest, smiling with hope.

Superman's eyes widened and was obviously disturbed, which caused Superboy to frown.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Batman referring to Superboy.

"He," both Moriko and Miko corrected at the same time.

The adults looked at the miko in question. "What? He's obviously a 'he'," Miko clarified.

"And he doesn't like being called an 'it'," Kid Flash loudly whispered to the heroes.

"I'm Sueprman's clone," Superboy declared.

The adults gave shocked expressions to one another.

"Start talking," Batman ordered the sidekicks.

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_Thirty Minutes Later _

It took a little over twenty minutes to inform the League what had happened. Some of the League members took Blockbuster for him to get treated for his 'condition.' Meanwhile, Miko used her powers to heal the young heroes and yōkai's wounds. She held out her hand that was covered in a light purple glow, "You're next," she told Superboy.

He looked at the miko with some annoyance, "I don't need it."

Miko gave an understanding look, "It's your choice. But you're injured and I would like to help you, if you'd let me."

Superboy raised a brow at the Miko's behavior. She reminded him a little of Moriko, 'Are they related?' he wondered while looking towards the female protégé. Moriko gave a nod of encouragement to Superboy, before he reluctantly agreed to be healed. Miko's powers mended all the cuts and bruises that covered the young clone's body. "Thank you," he said appreciating the aid, not realizing just how bad his body was damaged. Superboy slowly turned his gaze to his 'father', who was talking with Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman.

Miko noticed this immediately, _"J`onn,"_ she called to his mind, _"Let Superboy talk to Superman." _

Martian Manhunter motioned the Man of Steel to talk to the boy.

Superman sighed as he approached his clone, "We'll, uhh figure something out for you…the League will, I mean." Miko sent a sinister look to Superman, who replied with a glare of his own. "I've gotta make sure that they get Blockbuster squared away," he said before flying off.

"Jerk," Miko said out loud, knowing the Man of Steel could hear her.

Batman, Aquaman, and Flash came up their protégés.

"Cadmus will be investigated," the Dark Knight told the protégés, "All fifty two levels. But let's make one thing clear."

"You should have called," Flash interrupted.

Batman ignored the speedster for disrupting him, "Ending results aside, we are not happy."

Moriko looked at both her parents who had disappointed looks on their faces.

"You hacked Justice League systems," Batman continued, "You disobeyed direct orders and endangered lives…You will not be doing this again."

Aqualad stood proudly before replying, "I am sorry, but we will."

"Aqualad," the King of Atlantis said firmly, "Stand down."

"Apologies, my King," replied the young Atlantean, "But no." The other protégés were surprised by Aqualad's disobedience, but they all stood next to him in full support. "We did good work here tonight," Aqualad continued, "The work you trained us to do. By working together, on our own, we forged something powerful and important."

Flash sighed, "If this is about your treatment at the Hall, the four of you."

"Five," Moriko corrected, "Superboy is a part of this now."

"And it's not about what happened at the Hall," said Kid Flash.

Robin looked to his mentor, "Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us. Or why teach us at all?"

The mentors looked at one another, Miko had an 'I told you so' look on her face. She knew fully well that these teenagers were more than capable of handling whatever they'd face.

Superboy had heard enough. These heroes had barely knew him but were already making decisions for him. No, he had enough of that at Cadmus. "Why let them tell us what to do?" asked Superboy angry, "It's simple: Either get on board or get out of the way."

The mentors contemplated what to do next.

Miko walked up to Superboy and put a hand on his shoulder, "You may not know this yet, but our disappointment and scolding means that we care about you."

"So you're against us," Superboy accused.

"No, I'm not," Miko answered truthfully, "But I can't speak for the League." She turned to the other heroes, "We promised to give them a chance to prove themselves...I say we give it to them."

"What do you mean?" Moriko asked, wondering what her mother was up to.

Batman looked from the miko to the sidekicks and came to a decision, "Give us three days."

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_Hall of Justice: A Few Hours Later _

The protégé's, old and new, were sitting in the library of the Hall.

"What do you think they'll do?" Kid Flash asked his friends.

Robin shrugged, "Not a clue."

Miko exited the 'League Members Only' room and came into the library, "Moriko, it's time to go."

"Excuse me, Miko," Aqualad said getting the miko's attention. "If I may ask, though we are appreciative, why did you fight for us to go to the Watchtower?"

The miko sighed before taking a seat on one of the unoccupied chairs, which was surrounded the teenagers, "Many years ago, there was a six year old girl who was raised by two heroes."

Moriko straighten up in her chair.

"One day the little girl told the heroes 'I want to be a hero too,'" Miko continued, "The heroes told the girl that she was too young to be fighting, but promised that they would train her when she was older. As the years went on, the girl did her best to obey the two heroes and by the time she was ten, the two heroes finally introduced the girls to the basics. However, they still believed that the girl wasn't ready to fight." Miko took a deep breath before telling the rest, "Then one day, the little girl showed a power that neither of the two heroes expected, and proved just how ready she was to be a hero. That's when the two heroes realized that it was really 'them' who weren't ready. They didn't want to admit that the little girl they'd raised was growing up. But they knew they had to give the girl the choice and guidance to be who she wanted…So, they did."

The protégés listened intently through the whole story.

"What happened to the girl?" Superboy asked curiously, wanting to know how the story ended.

"Ask her yourself," Miko said, smiling with her eyes, "She's sitting right next to you."

All the boys turned to Moriko who was blushing at their gazes.

"Wait a minute," Kid Flash said baffled, "What power did she show? Was it her super strength? Her freaky long nails?"

"Freaky?" Moriko questioned, while looking at her nails.

Miko chuckled, "Not exactly, Kid Flash. I'm afraid that is a story for another time."

"Why did you have to tell them at all?" Moriko asked her mother embarrassed.

Miko got out of her chair and embraced her daughter, rubbing her cheek next to hers, "Because it's my job and back then you were so kawaii!"

Moriko tried to push her mother off, "Get off of me, you crazy onna!"

That's when the Boy Wonder made the connection, "Miko's your mom," he indicated.

Both females stopped their fussing, turned to Robin and nodded, "What gave us away?" they said at the same time.

The boys snickered in responses.

"So one of the heroes you spoke of, was you," Aqualad guessed.

Miko nodded and stood up, "Yes it was. It's difficult for a parent, or guardian, to witness their children to growing up. We want to hang on to you for as long as we can, because we think the minute we let go...you won't need us anymore."

The protégés were stumped, since they haven't considered that before.

Superboy didn't know what to think of that. As of right now, he no one to care about him that way. So instead he asked, "Who was the other hero?"

"Are you both ready?" said a voice coming from near the zeta beam teleporter.

Everyone turned to Martian Manhunter.

"Yes we are," Miko told him as she and Moriko went to towards the Martian.

Once the trio was together, the boys realized who the second hero was, "No way," said Kid Flash in disbelief. Moriko had two original League members as parents. "How awesome is that," the speedster said with envy.

The small family didn't acknowledge the comment. "Did you forget to tell her?" Martian Manhunter asked his wife.

"Oh right," Miko remembered and turned to her daughter, "You're grounded for two months."

"What!" yelled Moriko, she knew she would get in trouble but a two month grounding was just cruel. "Doesn't saving those people from a burning building and exposing the real Cadmus count for anything?"

Miko and Martian Manhunter looked at each other, then back at Moriko, "You're right…two weeks," Martian Manhunter revised.

"I'll take it," Moriko agreed, knowing the offer was generous.

"Good," Miko replied, "You can start by cleaning the shrine grounds when we get home." Moriko nodded in acknowledgment before her mother continued. "Oh and your Oji-sama wants to hear about how you got captured and almost got cloned."

Moriko's eyes widened in panic, "Wha-But...Onegai Kaa-san, please don't make me do that," she begged. Kami only knew what her uncle Sesshōmaru was going to do to her once he found out. "Better yet, take me back to Cadmus and let them dissect me. That's more pleasant."

Martian Manhunter shook his head, slightly amused, "It won't be that bad, dear one." Moriko gave him a look of disbelief. "Let's go home," he said before leading his family to the zeta tube.

"I'll accept the two month grounding, if you don't make me tell him" Moriko continued beg as they entered the zeta tube.

The male protégé's watched the entire family conversation silently.

Kid Flash whistled, completely stunned, "Okay, two founding members as parents, a little less awesome now."

Robin nodded in agreement, "And I thought I had it bad being Batman's partner."

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_Mount Justice July 8__th__ 08:04 EDT _

"Whoa," said Wally intrigued, as he saw Karin enter the Cave with Kirara on her shoulder. If it wasn't for the neko, the boys wouldn't have realized it was the same girl who fought with them a few days ago. Like them, she was wearing civilian clothing. More specifically, a loose green blouse, blue jean pants, cream flat shoes, with her black hair in a loose side braid. "Where have you been all my life?" Wally flirted.

Karin rolled her eyes, "Don't make a big deal of this Kid Flash. It's still me." She slowly walked to her new team mates.

"Why are you walking so funny?" Robin asked Karin, since she was taking each step as if she were in pain.

"My uncle was very…displeased that I allowed myself to get captured," Karin explained once she made it to them. "And he had me train none stop over the last three days, to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Ouch," Wally winced, not envying her punishment.

Batman cleared his throat to make the teenagers pay attention, "This cave and mountain was the original Secret Sanctuary of the Justice League. Since, you five are so determined to stay together and fight the good fight. You'll do it on League terms," the Dark Knight made sure he emphasized that part. "Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary's in charge of training. And I, will deploy your missions."

"Real missions?" Robin asked to be sure.

"Yes," Batman answered, "But, they will be covert."

"The League will have to handle the obvious stuff," Flash interjected, "There's a reason we have these targets on our chests," he gestured to his Flash symbol.

Miko rolled her eyes, "The men maybe."

Karin chuckled and Kirara meowed on her right shoulder.

"But Cadmus proves that the bad guys are getting smarter," said Aquaman, "Their needs to be a team that can operate on the sly."

Batman nodded, "The six of you are going to be that team."

"Cool," said Robin excited until he realized something, "Wait, six?"

Karin formed a big smile on her face and turned to her mother, "You are going to let her join?"

"Her?" asked Kaldur curious.

Miko motioned for them to turn around. When they did, they saw Martian Manhunter and M`gann coming from the zeta tubes.

"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece," Batman introduced, "Miss Martian."

Karin immediately ran up, soreness forgotten, and embraced her cousin, "I can't believe you're going to join too."

"Me neither," M`gann said equally excited, before releasing Karin and looking at all the boys, "Hi," she waved in greeting.

Wally nudged Robin, "I'm liking this gig more every minute," he whispered before going to introduce himself. "Hey, I'm Kid Flash. That's Robin, and Aqualad," he pointed to his friends, "It's cool if you forget their names."

"And it'd be cool if you didn't hit on my cousin," Karin threatened. 'And didn't he just flirt with me a minute ago,' she growled in her mind.

M`gann chuckled, "I'm honored to be included."

The boys all went to greet M`gann, except for one.

"Hey Superboy," Robin called, "Come meet Miss M."

Superboy was hesitant but eventually came to the little group. Once he got there, M`gann morphed her white shirt to the color black, just like his.

"I like your T-shirt," M`gann admitted slightly bashful.

Superboy smiled lightly at the comment.

Karin was glad that everyone accepted her cousin, whole heartedly. After all they had been through, she couldn't wait to be a part of this team.

Today was a mark of a new beginning.

Today is the day.

**I'm just going to leave it to your imaginations to what Sesshōmaru did to Karin for being captured. (Because it's more fun that way.) Any way, the Team is officially forged and now my fic can take off. There will be action, there will be suspense, there will be drama and of course teen romance. So tell me what you think so far. Next time: The team gets to know each other and the first battle commences. **

**Till Then My Readers. **


	4. Trust Building Exercise

To Be a Hero

**To My Reviewers: **

**Clockwork's Apprentice, Inu-Hanyou2016, BatmanFanatic123,****chibi-no-baka,: I'm glad you like it. I hope you like this next one too. **

**AgnetCoCo: I know she could be a little annoying at times. **

**Guest: M`gann is my least favorite character, but I'm not going to do any bashing. However, she does do some thoughtless things regarding others in the series that I have to address. **

**ADL1,****Kitsune's Den: Our favorite demon will be in this fic, but not for a few chapters.**

**sverhei, Applejax XD: (chuckle) I know, even I couldn't write down what he did. **

**MyworldMyImagination: I'm so happy that you enjoyed those moments as much as I liked writing them. And your last question will be answered in this chapter. **

**SailorJupiter001: Ok, ok, ok, here you go. **

**HellCatArtist (Guest): Don't worry you're not being bossy, you're trying to be helpful and I really appreciate it when other people catch my easy to miss mistakes. **

**Guest: *wink* just wait and see. **

**Thank you all for your awesome reviews and thank you Kitsune's Den, chibi-no-baka, SoraMythos9276, Firo Zero Claw, Mistress Belfray,** **nen9131,** **eva. 16,** **AmayaTaisho19,** **Shaded Night and Albafica, you all rock!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Young Justice. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and the Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. The only character I own is Karin. Make no money, please no sue, Okay?...okay.

Chapter 4: Trust Building Exercise

Since their wasn't a lot of room at the Higurashi Shrine, Kagome and J`onn figured it was best for M`gann to live at Mount Justice with Superboy, so that she could have her own room and space.

Karin and M`gann were very upset by this decision since they didn't get a real chance to learn about each other yet.

After a day or so of groveling, Kagome and J`onn halfheartedly agreed to let Karin live at Mount Justice as well.

Kou`ki was upset that both girls were leaving, but both of them assured that he could call them whenever he wanted and that they'd come and visit a lot.

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_Mount Justice July 18 11:16 EDT _

It had been over a week since The Team was formed, and they had yet to go on any real missions. 'Hopefully, that'll change today,' Karin thought to herself.

Suddenly, the computer announced new arrivals to The Cave. _"Recognize: "Robin-B01. Kid Flash-B03."_ Both team members were wearing civilian clothing, and rushed to Kaldur, Karin, Superboy and M`gann.

"Is he here yet?" asked Robin excited.

"Did you ask?" questioned Wally.

Kaldur turned to his friends, "He's arriving now."

"Then let's go," said Wally as he rushed to the entrance of the mountain with the others close behind him.

As the doors opened, the teenagers ran outside to meet the much anticipated, Red Tornado. "Greetings," said the android.

"Hello, Red Tornado-san," greeted Karin, bowing with respect.

Red Tornado nodded in response, "Is there a reason you intercept me outside the cave?"

"We had hoped you had a mission for us," said Kaldur.

"Mission assignments are Batman's responsibility," answered the android.

Robin looked distraught, "It's been over a week and."

"You'll be tested soon enough," Red Tornado interrupted. "For the time being, simply enjoy each other's company."

"This team is not a social club," Kaldur responded.

"No," said Red Tornado, "But I am told social interaction is an important team-building exercise. Perhaps you can keep busy by familiarizing yourself with the cave," he suggested before heading inside.

Karin sighed, "So much for asking."

"Keeping busy," Wally quoted and mocked.

"Does he really think we'll fall for that," Robin said scowling.

M`gann got an idea, "Oh, I'll find out if he is thinking that." The female Martian attempted to read Red Tornado's mind by using her telepathy. However, she had trouble doing so, "Oh that's right," M`gann realized. "Red Tornado is a machine. I can't read his mind…I'm sorry," she said feeling like she disappointed her friends.

"It was worth a shot," Karin acclaimed.

"She's right," Wally said in agreement. "So, you know what I'm thinking?" he asked M`gann flirtingly. Karin punched the speedster in the arm in response, making him wince in pain.

"Everyone knows what you're thinking right now," Robin informed his best friend, amused by what Karin had done.

Kaldur sighed, he had really hoped that Red Tornado would have a mission for them. "And now we tour the clubhouse."

"Well, since Superboy, Karin and I live here, we can play tour guides," M`gann offered. A meow came from the ground, as a small neko rubbed her side on the Martians ankle, "Oh and Kirara too."

Everyone turned their gazes to Superboy, "Don't look at me," he told them.

"We won't," said Wally, "A private tour sounds much more fun," he continued flirting with M`gann.

"She never said private," Robin said mortified.

Karin punched the speedster in the arm again, "Kid Flash if you hit on my cousin again, your face will get a private tour of the ground," she threatened.

"Oh," said Wally unaffected by her threat, "I didn't realize I was neglecting you, Pretty Eyes. Maybe you can give me that tour?" he suggested. Karin growled before she twisted the speedster's arm behind his back. Wally cried out for a few seconds before apologizing, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Geez ,you were so nice the day we met."

Karin released the speedster, "I am nice…when you're on my good side."

"Did you just growl?" Superboy questioned Karin.

The young inu yōkai blushed a little, "Yeah, it's a bad habit of mine."

"Team-building," quoted Kaldur, "We'll all go on the tour."

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The Team began to tour the mountain, from the font ti back and everything in between.

"The Cave is actually the entire mountain," M`gann informed everyone.

"It was hollowed out and reinforced by Superman and Green Lantern in the early days of the League," Wally told the others of what he knew of the place.

"Then why abandon it for the Hall of Justice?" asked Superboy.

Kaldur knew the answer, "The Cave's secret location was…compromised."

Superboy was still confused, "So they traded in for a tourist trap?"

"It's just a front, for said tourist and the villains," Karin informed him, "The real headquarters is a secret."

"Wait, if villains know of The Cave we must be on constant alert," said M`gann putting her guard up.

Robin patted the Martian's shoulder in reassurance, "Bad guys know, that we know, that they know about this place. So, they'll never look here."

M`gann looked confused.

"We're hiding in plain sight," Wally translated.

"Oh," the Martian said understanding that explanation, "I get it."

Suddenly, a charcoal scent coming from the kitchen hit Karin's nose, "Oh geez, M`gann-chan" she groaned.

"I smell smoke," Superboy informed everyone.

M`gann gasped, "My cookies!" she said alarmed and flew off towards the kitchen. She wanted to learn to cook and surprise the boys with cookies when they got here today. Her cousin said she would help but M`gann wanted to do it on her own.

"I told her to set the timer," Karin criticized before she and the rest of the team followed.

M`gann flew to the front of the oven and used her telekinesis to open the door and levitate the cookie tray to the counter. The cookies were strongly burnt. "Oh no, I was trying out Grammy Jones's recipe form episode 17 of," she began to explain but then stopped herself.

Kirara hopped on to the counter and smelled the burnt cookies before hissing at them.

"I'll bet they would've tasted great," said Robin to the Martian, before he noticed Wally eating a few of the burnt cookies. "He doesn't mind."

Wally looked at the shocked faces of his team mates, "What? I got a seriously high metabolism," he admitted with a mouth full of cookies.

M`gann was a little happy by this, "I'll-make some more."

"Just remember," Karin said while lifting up a timer, "The timer is your best friend when you're baking."

"It was a sweet gesture," Kaldur said in gratitude.

"Thank you, Aqualad," replied the Martian.

That's when the Atlantean got an idea for a team-exercise, "When we're off-duty, you can call me Kaldur`ahm."

"Kaldur`ahm," Karin tried to pronounce it the best she could, but failed horribly.

"My friends call me Kaldur," he said trying to make it easier for her.

Karin pondered that, "Could I call you Kaldur-san?" The Atlantean gave a confused look, since he was unfamiliar with the added suffix, "In my country you add the '-san' to those you respect."

Kaldur gave a flattered smile, "Then of course."

"I'm Wally," the speedster introduced himself. "See, I trust you ladies already with my secret identity." He gestured to Robin, "Unlike Mr. Dark Glasses over here. Batman's forbidden the Boy Wonder form telling anyone his real name."

Robin pouted as he adjusted his sunglasses, "Shut up," he muttered to the speedster.

"Mine's no secret," said the Martian, "I'm M`gann M`orzz. But you can call me Megan, it's my Earth name. And I'm on earth."

"Really?" Karin asked sarcastically, making M`gann blush. "I'm kidding, M`gann-chan. Anyway, my name's Karin Higurashi-Jon`zz," she said bowing in greeting. "And you already know Kirara," she rubbed the fire neko's ear, who also closed her eyes and bowed her head in greeting.

"You're Japanese right?" Wally asked as he continued to munch on cookies. Karin nodded in reply. "And Kirara is some kind of mutant cat?"

"Absolutely not," Karin said perplexed. Kirara hissed at the speedster insulted by the label.

Getting bored of the introductions, Superboy began to leave the kitchen.

M`gann felt guilty and tried to cheer him up, _"Don't worry, Superboy,"_ she said telepathically to his mind. Superboy grabbed his head surprised and turned to M`gann enraged. _"We'll find you an Earth name too."_

"Get out of my head!" he yelled furiously.

The female Martian was confused by his anger, _"What's wrong?"_ she asked her friends and cousin. The boys grabbed their heads in pain of the sudden voice in their minds. Karin was used to the telepathic conversations because of her father and brother. _"Everyone on Mars communicates telepathically. Karin's family does too." _

"M`gann-chan stop," Karin said silencing her cousin. "I'm sorry, I didn't think about warning her about using telepathy on other people."

Kaldur nodded understanding, "M`gann, on Earth your telepathy is an extreme invasion of privacy," he explained.

M`gann's eyes widened in shock, having no idea that humans felt that way.

"Cadmus used creepy psychic G-Gnomes that left a bad taste in Supey's brain," Wally explained why Superboy was more furious than they were about her telepathy.

"I'm-I'm sorry," M`gann apologized to the Boy of Steel.

"Just stay out!" Superboy yelled before leaving to the sitting room.

M`gann looked down, saddened that she had hurt him emotionally.

Karin gave the clone a nasty look. 'He didn't have to snap at her like that.'

"Hello, Megan," the female Martian said tapping her head, as she remembered something, "I know what we can do." She gestured them to follow her as she walked down the hallway to the hanger bay. All the boys followed her except for Superboy, who remained in the sitting room on one of the couches.

Karin walked up to stand next to Superboy, grabbing his attention, "Not everyone's out to get you, you know."

The clone didn't make any notion that he'd heard her.

M`gann came back to see what was keeping Karin and Superboy. It was obvious that the Boy of Steel had no interest in following her, "Please Superboy," she urged him to come.

"Don't talk to me," he warned the Martian.

M`gann frowned and retreated back to the hanger bay.

Karin clenched her fist and growled at Superboy. Kirara hissed at her charge, reminding Karin to keep her temper under control. Hearing the warning, Karin took a deep breath to calm down before she spoke again, "Superboy, come with us. It'll mean a lot to M`gann and to me...Onegai."

Superboy took a side glance at her and saw the pleading look in her eye. Sighing inn defeat Superboy got up from the couch. Karin gave a small smile as she grabbed his hand to lead him to the hanger bay.

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_Hanger Bay_

"Ta-da," M'gann motioned once the doors opened to the hanger bay, "This is my Martian Bio-Ship."

The boys looked at the red sphere like contraption floating on the hanger bay. It didn't look a ship to them.

"Cute," said Wally, not knowing what else to say, "Not aerodynamic but cute."

M'gann chuckled, "It's at rest, silly. I'll wake it up." With one wave of her hand the red sphere morphed into its space ship form.

"Okay, how did you sneak this to Earth without my Outo-san noticing?" Karin questioned her cousin.

"It wasn't easy," M'gann replied, "Believe me." The Bio-Ship turned to face out the hanger bay and formed an opening in the back. "You coming?" M'gann questioned her team as, she made her way inside the ship.

Karin followed with Kirara still on her shoulder.

The boys were more hesitant, having never seen this type of technology before, but eventually followed their female teammates.

Everyone took a seat inside the Bio-Ship. On M'gann's mental command, the chairs strapped in their passengers.

"Whoa," said Robin surprised by the action.

"Cool," Wally said impressed.

Taking the pilot seat, M'gann asked Red Tornado to open the hanger bay doors, and flew the Bio-Ship into the air.

"Incredible," Robin stated out the window, amazed at the view.

Wally stared at M'gann, "Yes she is." Karin sent the speedster a death glare and growled. "The ship," he clarified after hearing Karin growl, "I meant the ship. Which like all ships are called 'she'."

"That's what I thought," Karin said satisfied.

Robin chuckled before leaning in his seat towards the girls, "Fast with his feet, but not with his mouth."

"Dude," said Wally offended.

M'gann chuckled and then looked over at Kaldur and Superboy who were whispering to each other.

Karin noticed this and gave her cousin a supporting smile, "It'll be okay."

"Yeah, he'll come around," said Robin in support, referring to Superboy.

M'gann wasn't all that convinced, "He doesn't seem to like me at all."

"Well, guys can be jerks sometimes," Karin explained.

"You do know that he has super-hearing, right?" Wally reminded Karin in warning.

"I know," Karin said smugly. Superboy looked back over his shoulder glaring at her. She replied with an innocent acting smile, which almost made him smirk.

"Anyway," said Robin, "M'gann, how about you show us some of that Martian shape shifting."

M'gann smiled as she stood up from her seat and shifted into a female version of Robin, before shifting to a female version of Kid Flash.

"Is it wrong to think I'm hot?" Wally asked smitten.

"It's sadder that I think you have a bigger bust size then me," Karin said amused referring to his female versions chest size.

"Yea, you're not exactly gonna fool anyone with…those," Robin said to M'gann.

M'gann nodded, "Mimicking boys is a lot harder. But I can do girls more easily" she said shifting to look like her cousin.

Karin looked 'herself' up and down, "Remind me that you can do that when I want to play a prank on my Nii-san."

M'gann shifted back to normal and looked at her cousin appalled, "Why would you do that to Kou'ki?"

"Not him. My other brother Shippo," Karin assured. "The one you haven't met yet."

"You have brothers?" Kaldur asked Karin, knowing that this was the type of team building they needed: learning about one another's lives.

"Yep," Karin answered, "Shippo is my older Nii-san. And I have a four year old little Nii-chan named Kou'ki."

"All of you should really meet him," M'gann encouraged, "He's such a sweet heart."

Wally looked at M'gann flirtingly, "Not as sweet as you, sugar."

Karin growled at the speedster, "Don't make me get up from this chair, Wally-kun." The said speedster gulped and shrunk into his seat.

"Anyway," Robin interrupted , "What stuff can you do, Karin?" He knew she wasn't a Martian since she was born before Miko had met Martian Manhunter.

"Well, I'm stronger than the average human," Karin answered, "I have stronger agility too. And I have advanced hearing and sense of smell."

Wally looked curious "Why though? Is it like how Miko is with her 'holy powers'," he used air quotes since he didn't believe in magic.

"No, not holy powers," Karin said, dreading having to explain this part. But these were her teammates and they needed to know the truth about her, "They're from my demonic powers."

Everyone, minus M`gann, looked at her confused, "What do you mean by…demonic?" Kaldur asked.

Karin took a deep breath before clarifying, "I'm not human…well, I'm a three quarter human, but the rest of me is part demon." The boy's eyes widened. "Dog demon to be exact."

At first, the boys were silent, not sure on how to react to that.

"Well," said Superboy in acceptance, "That explains the growling."

Wally actually began to chuckle, "Really? A demon? Like 'Mwah ha ha I'm gonna eat your soul,'" he mocked using a fake evil voice.

Karin put her hands on her hips and gave him an insulted look, "Excuse me, but that's profiling and that's just plain rude."

"I'm sure Wally meant nothing by it," Kaldur said in a scolding tone toward the speedster.

"Oh come on," Wally replied to the Atlantean in disbelief, "You can't possibly think she's a demon."

"Quarter demon," M`gann corrected, "And she is. Kirara is a demon too."

"A full-fledged cat demon," Karin lifted up the small neko from her lap so the speedster could get a good look. Kirara mewed to acknowledge the remark.

"Does the League know," Robin asked out of curiosity. He had never seen any files on such a thing in the Batcave.

"Yes," answered Karin, "There are demons all over the world, but their existence is secret to the human public. They used to be more out in the open hundreds of years ago but the human population had them out numbered, so they just decided to just lay low and move on with their ridiculously long lives."

Kaldur gave a curious look, "How long a life?"

"My Oji-sama is a full demon and he's well over eight hundred years old," Karin informed, "But he only looks like he's in his late thirties. I might live longer than a human too but not by much."

"Interesting," said Robin in his detective voice, "And who's your uncle?" he asked knowing the translation of the Japanese word was 'uncle.'

Karin chuckled, "Trust me, you don't want to know. And don't try and look into it, Robin-kun. That information could be 'over'-whelming, even for you."

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"_Red Tornado to Miss Martian,"_ the android hero said over the Bio-Ship radio. "_An emergency alert has been triggered at the Happy Harbor Power Plant. I suggest you investigate, covertly."_

"Received," the Martian replied, "Adjusting course."

"Umm, how can we be covert in a Martian ship?" asked Karin.

M'gann smirked, "Like this," she replied while mentally commanding the ship to hide itself. "Camouflage Mode."

Robin was impressed by the action but not by the mission, "Tornado is keeping us busy, again."

"Well, a small fire led you to Superboy," the Martian reminded him as she flew the Bio-Ship to the coordinates that Red Tornado gave them. "We should find out what's causing the alert."

Superboy looked out the window and saw something strange, "I think I know the cause."

A twister was heading in the direction of the Power Plant.

And towards the Bio-Ship

The Martian ship was sucked into the cyclone and the Team was rattling in their seats. Karin had to hold Kirara tightly, to keep the neko from being tossed around the ship.

Thinking quickly, M'gann maneuvered the Bio-Ship out of the twister and into a nearby parking lot.

The team assembled and exited the ship, close to the twister.

Civilians were running all over the place trying to escape the strange weather phenomenon.

"Robin," Aqualad called to the Boy Wonder, "Are tornadoes common to New England?" The team turned to find the young detective had vanished.

Suddenly, Robins laughing came from the inside of the Power Plant.

"Okay, that's going to get annoying really fast," Karin said as she and the Team ran to the building.

"It already is," Kid Flash stated.

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Once inside the Power Plant, the team found Robin fighting against a robotic opponent, wearing red armor. Said opponent, was using his ability to create twisters to fight the Boy Wonder and pushed him into a stone pillar.

Superboy super-jumped to his teammates aid, "Who's your friend?"

Robin groaned, "Didn't catch a name. But he plays rough," he warned as the clone went on the offensive.

"My apologies," said the opponent, "You may address me as, Mr. Twister." In order to respect the name, he created small cyclones to attack the charging Superboy, sending him flying back into a brick wall.

The Team looked at one another before all charging at Mr. Twister. Kirara transformed and charged at the opponent as well

The armored opponent was able to use his mini twisters to block Wally's attack before he made more cyclones and attacked M`gann and Kaldur, forcing them back against the stone walls of the Power Plant. Karin and Kirara got closer than their team mates but also fell victim to the powerful winds and was forced back.

"I was prepared to be challenged by a superhero," said Mr. Twister disappointed. "I wasn't expecting…children."

Angry, Robin threw a few of his shuriken at Mr. Twister, "We're. Not. Children."

One shuriken exploded on contact but did absolutely no damage to Mr. Twister. "Objectively you are," he replied as he flicked the second shuriken off his body as if it were nothing "Have you no adult supervision? I find your presence here disturbing."

By this time, the team had regain consciousness and regrouped. "Well, we hate to see you disturbed," mocked Robin. "Let's see if you're more turbed once we kick your ass."

M`gann used her telekinesis to break a steam pipe that was above Mr. Twister and hit him with hot steam.

Superboy used that distraction to super-jump and attack. Mr. Twister used his mini twisters to throw the clone back and hitting M`gann in the process.

Kaldur, Robin, Karin and Kirara dodged their falling comrades and charged at Mr. Twister once more. In annoyance the twister user used his cyclones to smash his opponents against one another. "Indeed, that was quite 'turbing.' Thank you," Mr. Twister mocked before leaving.

Wally finally awaked from his assault and ran to stop Mr. Twister. "What have you done to my team?" he yelled.

"I embarrassed them," answered Mr. Twister before attacking the speedster.

Fearing that he would once again hit the ground hard, Wally was surprised when he stopped in midair.

"Got you," M`gann said as she caught the speedster with her telekinesis. Her and the rest of the team recovered and headed outside to stop the villain.

"Thanks," said Wally gratefully to the Martian as she put him down.

Mr. Twister flew into the air amused, "I would have thought you had all learned your limitations by now."

Finally fed up with this Kaldur yelled, "What do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm waiting for a real hero," answered Mr. Twister.

Karin turned to her cousin, "M`gann-chan, read his mind," she gestured to the villain. "Maybe he has a weakness."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to do that," said M`gann.

"It's okay with the bad guys," Robin urged in frustration.

With that knowledge, the Martian attempted to read Mr. Twisters mind.

And found nothing.

"I'm not getting anything," said M`gann before coming to a conclusion, "He's inorganic. An android…Hello Megan," she tapped her forehead, "Mr. Twister is Red Tornado in disguise."

The Team thought M`gann's statement over. It did make sense: An android that controlled tornados, Red Tornado sent them to the Power Plant, he even said that they'd be tested soon.

"This is a test," Robin said annoyed, "Something to keep us busy."

Wally gritted his teeth and recalled what Speedy had told him when he and the boys tried to recruit the archer to the team, "Speedy called it…we're a joke."

Karin growled in annoyance. She couldn't believe that the League would want to test them this way. 'This is more like something Sesshōmaru Oji-sama would do,' she thought.

"This game is over," said Wally.

Robin walked up to Mr. Twiser, "We know who you are," he yelled, "And we know what you want."

"Let's end this," said Kaldur.

Mr. Twisters robotic eyes narrowed, "Consider it done." Using his tornados, the villain aimed the cyclones to the sky, creating a lightning storm.

Karin's eyes widened, "Red Tornado can't do that," she mumbled to herself. She knew most of the League member's moves, having heard from her parents and the news. 'Wait that means that...oh no,' she realized.

"We will not indulge," yelled Kaldur, "We will not engage."

"It's not Red Tornado!" Karin yelled to her team mates.

Mr. Twister chuckled, "You think I'm Tornado? Oh, how ironic."

A lightning bolt struck at the un-expecting team exploding the ground where they stood. The teenage heroes flew back and hit the ground hard. Superboy wasn't as effected from the blast and attacked the android once more.

Mr. Twister struck another bolt of lightning right into Superboy's chest, forcing the clone to the ground, sliding him back to his pile of team mates.

M'gann awoke from the attack and saw Mr. Twister heading toward her and her team. Thinking quickly, the Martian mentally ordered the Bio-Ship, which was in camouflage mode, to hide them.

"I won't deny that you children have power," said Mr. Twister once he saw the young heroes disappear. "Playing hide-and-seek with you won't help me achieve my objective. So stay hidden. If you confront me again, I will show no mercy," he warned before flying away.

Everyone groaned as they awaked from their assault, "Wh-what happened?" said Wally.

"I placed the Bio-Ship between us and Mr. Twister," the Martian explained.

"Nice move," Karin said wincing from her bruises.

Superboy punched the ground in anger, making a small crater from his fist. "That doesn't mean it was right," he yelled. "You tricked us into thinking Twister was Red Tornado."

"She didn't do it on purpose," Kaldur defended.

"It was a rookie mistake," explained Robin, "We shouldn't have listened."

Wally rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that he would hurt M'gann's feelings for what he was about to say, "You are pretty inexperienced."

Karin glared at the boys, "Are you kidding me? Considering this was M`gann-chan's first fight and the fact that she saved all of us just now, I say she did fine," she argued. "Plus we were pretty damn sloppy ourselves in case you didn't notice."

"You're only saying that cause she's your cousin," Robin informed Karin, who growled at him in response.

"Look," Wally interrupted, "Why don't you ladies head back, we'll take it from here."

"What!" Karin said insulted by the suggestion.

"We're used to working together," Robin gestured to Wally and Kaldur. "You're both not."

Karin pointed to Superboy, "What about him?"

The boys didn't answer the question.

"Just stay out of our way," the Boy of Steel warned before heading in Mr. Twister's direction. Kid Flash and Robin began to head that direction as well.

M'gann spoke for the first time, "I just…tried to be a part of the team."

Kaldur sighed, "I'm not sure we really have a team."

Karin couldn't help but agree. This team wouldn't work if they all still think like individuals and not team mates. "You better make sure those bakas don't get themselves killed," she said to Kaldur.

The Atlantean nodded and headed towards his friends direction.

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_Ten Minutes Later _

"Did you really think I did okay?" M'gann asked as Karin as she flew the Bio-Ship back to The Cave.

Karin nodded, "I can admit that you were rough around the edges but you did well. We probably wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for you," she praised. "The boys will see that eventually…I hope."

M'gann was glad that at least one person thought she did alright, "It just seemed to make sense, at the time"

"It is a big coincidence," Karin admitted. "What are the odds that a guy can create tornados and be immune to telepathy?"

Suddenly, M'gann realized the truth, "Hello, M`gann," she said tapping her forehead.

"What?" Karin asked.

"I was only half wrong," said M'gann, "Twister wasn't Red Tornado but he IS an android."

Karin realized what this would mean, 'The guys will hold back if they're afraid of killing a person inside the armor.' "We got to go back."

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_Harbor_

"You brought your Utility Belt," Kid Flash asked his friend.

"Don't leave home without it," Robin quoted as he snapped on the belt. "The first thing Batman taught me."

"_All of you_, _listen to me_," M'gann telepathically said to all her team mate's minds.

Superboy grabbed his head where he stood and growled, "What did we tell you!"

"_Oh shut up and get over it_," Karin retorted, "_We have a plan to take down Twister. But you need to listen to us and do exactly as we say._"

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Their plan worked perfectly.

Thanks to M'gann's shape shifting, she disguised herself as Red Tornado and with Kid Flash's speed that mimicked a cyclone, the Team convinced Mr. Twister that 'Red Tornado' came to aid The Team.

Once distracted The Team began to disassemble the armor with Superboy super-strength, Karin's yōkai strength, Kaldur's mystical powers, Kirara's fangs, and M'gann's telekinesis.

Finally defeated, a man emerged from the armor. "Okay foul. I call foul," he begged.

Karin took one whiff the man and smirked, "Just as we thought...Do it."

M'gann nodded as she levitated a giant boulder from the ground and lifted it over the man's head.

"No!" yelled Kaldur as M'gann dropped the boulder on the man's body.

The boys looked at the girls in horror.

"What the hell was that?" Wally yelled at the girls.

"We don't execute our captives," said a stern Robin.

The Martian turned to her cousin, "Wow, they really don't trust us do they?"

"Yeah, they should work on that," Karin agreed before pointing to the boulder, "Use your eyes, Robin-kun."

M'gann levitated the boulder once more and showed that the man was indeed an android.

Wally walked over the remaining mechanical parts and picked up a robotic eye. "Cool, a souvenir."

Kaldur realized that what the girls said were true. They didn't trust them when they should have. "You were right. We should have had more faith in both of you."

"Yea, you gals rocked," praised Wally. "Get it? Rocked?" he gestured to the boulder.

"Wow," said Karin cringing at the joke, "That is going to take some getting used to."

"Just ignore them and eventually you won't even notice," advised Robin. "I'm just turbed that you and M'gann are on the team."

The Martian smiled at the statement.

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_Mount Justice_

The Team brought the remains of the android for Red Tornado to inspect.

"This android was clearly after you," Kaldur informed.

"Agreed," stated Red Tornado as he studied the remains.

"Is that why you didn't want to help us when Karin and I called you earlier?" asked M'gann.

The girls tried getting Red Tornado to help The Team before they formed the plan but the android refused.

"No," answered Red Tornado, "This was your fight. It is no my role to solve your problems for you. Nor should you solve mine for me."

The Team was surprised by the response. Any of their mentors would have come in and intervened. But Red Tornado…he trusted them.

Karin couldn't help but chuckle at the response, "My Oji-sama would love your methods."

"Still," M'gann said concerned for Red Tornado, "If you're in danger."

"This discussion is closed," Red Tornado said walking away from The Team.

"Well," Robin began, "If we're gonna have a babysitter a heartless machine is exactly what we need."

Wally winced, "Dude, harsh."

"And impolite," said Karin.

"And inaccurate, I do have a heart. Carbon-Steel" voiced Red Tornado before turning his head, "I also have excellent hearing."

Robin looked sheepish, "Uhh sorry, I'll strive to be more accurate."

"And more respectful," urged Kaldur.

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As Kaldur, Wally and Robin were off back to their own homes.

Superboy walked past M'gann on the way to his room. Then he stopped needing to do something. He turned to the Martian, "Sorry," he apologized for his outburst this morning.

The Martian smiled, "It's okay."

Karin saw the exchange and mouthed a 'thank you' to Superboy for his apology.

He nodded in response.

**That's a rap for this chapter. So The Team now knows what Karin is and that demons exist. Will this be relevant down the line? Only time will tell. But first what do you guys think so far? I'd love to know. Next Time: The Team's first Mission and Leader. **

**Till Then My Readers **


	5. A Leader Emerges

To Be a Hero

**AN: I'm getting a lot of questions or requests about 'no M`gann bashing,' about when Sesshōmaru, Hitomi and Riku are going to show up, and about possible Hitomi pairings. So just to set the record straight: In regards to M`gann, I'm not intentionally going to bash her character. However, she does do some things in the series that I can't overlook...so yeah. In regards to Sesshōmaru, Hitomi and Riku, they will make their appearances in this fic...when the time comes. In regards to the Hitomi pairing, she's going to be Karin's age in this story so she won't be with Flash (cause that's kind of messed up.) That's all I'm going to say since I don't want any spoilers. **

**Anyway, thank you Anime hotty lover.18, Inu-Hanyou2016,** **Kitsune's Den,** **Applejax XD, Tinas86Roses, BatmanFanatic123, Diane (Guest), sverhei, ricebunny88, and all the Guests for your awesome reviews and support. **

Disclaimer: From the bottom of my heart I just want everyone to know..."I do not own Inuyasha or Young Justice. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and the Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. The only character I own is Karin. Please don't sue me." And I really mean it.

Chapter 5: A Leader Emerges

_The Cave _

The Team stood in the mission room as Batman arrived, and activated the holographic monitor.

The one day they had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Their first mission.

"Isla Santa Prisca," Batman informed The Team of their destination for the mission. "This island nation is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neo-steroid that enhances strength, known as Venom. Infrared heat signatures indicate their factory is still operating at full capacity." Batman showed the team photos and maps of the island, "But all shipments of Venom have been inexplicably cut off. That is where you come in."

The Team was listening intently. Although, Wally was snacking during the overview so it was hard to tell if he was taking the situation seriously.

"This is a covert recon mission only. Observe and report," Batman emphasized on the last part. "The plan requires two drop zones."

"So who's in charge?" Robin interrupted.

Batman and Red Tornado stared at one another before coming up with a solution to the question.

"Work that out between you," answered Batman.

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_Half an Hour Later _

"You really want to lead this team don't you?" Karin questioned Robin after Batman explained the mission.

Robin nodded, "I have the most experience. So, why not?"

Karin gave a look of worry in her eyes, "Experience and leading are two very different skills."

This made the boy feel insulted, "You think I can't do it?"

"That's not what I mean," Karin clarified, "Only you know what you're capable of and no one else. If you think you can lead this team, then I'll follow you, Robin-kun."

Robin gave a grateful smile, "Thanks."

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_Caribbean Sea July 22, 20:08 ECT_

"Approaching Santa Prisca," Miss Martian informed The Team while flying her Bio-Ship. "Hitting Drop Zone A in 30 seconds," she said while switched the Bio-Ship to camouflage mode.

Aqualad prepared for his drop zone and dove into the ocean once the Bio-Ship reached Drop Zone A. His role was to take out the heat and motions sensors that was easily breeched from underwater. "We're patched. Move in," he communicated through his com-link.

Miss Martian guided the Bio-Ship to Drop Zone B.

Kid Flash touched the symbol on his chest to change his outfit into its own camouflage mode, letting the bright yellow and red colors of his suit turned black. "How cool is this?" he said while switching before turning to Superboy and Moriko. "It's not too late to put on the new Stealth-Tech, you two."

Karin shook her head, "The material in my kimono is made with the fur of a demon fire rat. Adding tech would disturb its demonic properties."

"O-okay," said Kid Flash a little disturbed by the explanation, "How about you, Supey?"

"No capes. No tights. No offense," replied Superboy.

"It totally works for you," said Miss Martian completely smitten. Everyone turned their gazes at the Martian as her face went a little red. "I mean you can totally do good work in those cloths."

"_Smooth cover, M`gann-chan,_" Moriko teased in the Martians mind.

"_Oh hush,"_ Miss Martian replied before camouflaging herself and phasing out of the Bio-Ship.

It was pretty obvious to Moriko that her cousin was crushing on Superboy and she couldn't really blame her. 'He's pretty handsome,' she thought before shaking her head. 'Wait where did that come from?'

Miss Martian commanded the Bio-Ship to create an opening for The Team to jump out. The Martian levitated down to the ground, while Kid Flash and Robin lowered themselves by using harness, and Karin used her agility to land softly on the ground, with a small Kirara on her shoulder.

Superboy simply jumped out of the Bio-Ship and landed hard on the ground, making a small crater in the process.

"Way to be covert," Moriko muttered to herself but knew that the Boy of Steel could hear her.

"You know, creating a seismic event doesn't really help us much with the covert," Robin scolded.

After the lecture, The Team moved on with the mission. Miss Martian informed Aqualad of their position and they proceeded to the factory. About half way through the island jungle, the advanced hearing Team members heard sticks snapping nearby.

"You hear that?" Superboy asked his team mates.

"No," Kid Flash answered confused, "Oh wait, is that a super-hearing thing?"

Miss Martian looked at the clone dreamily once more, "He does have great ears."

Kirara hissed at the jungle where the noise was heard.

Moriko used her yōkai senses to listen and sniff around the area. The smell of jungle and different animals was definitely present, but other scents were coming in too. "There's people following us," she informed The Team, "Four adult males, coming from the south direction."

"Okay, Rob, now what?" Kid Flash turned and asked his friend. That's when the speedster and the Team noticed that their self-appointed leader had vanished...again. "Oh, I hate it when he does that."

"_Superboy, Kid. Switch to Infrared_," ordered Aqualad through the com-link, "_See who is tracking you." _

Kid Flash activated his infrared goggles and began looking in the direction Moriko and Kirara were facing. He saw five body heat signatures through the jungle, "Pretty Eyes is right, we got a squad of armed bozos incoming," informed the speedster.

Superboy looked through the jungle with his super-vision, "Wait," he told his team members "We got another squad coming. But it looks like they'll meet each other before they find us."

Suddenly, gun fire was heard in the distance.

"Don't need any advanced hearing now," said Kid Flash.

"Where the hell is Robin?" Moriko muttered since she couldn't even smell where the Boy Wonder ran off. 'Batman taught him well,' she thought annoyingly impressed.

"_Team, swing wide,"_ ordered Aqualad through the com-link, _"Steer clear." _

Kid Flash shook his head and began to move forward, "We need to find Rob," he said before he took off with his super speed.

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Unfortunately, the speedster mange to, not only trip on an unseen rock on the ground, but stumbled on the two firing squads.

"They spotted him," Superboy told the girls before super-jumping to the location of the 'goon' squads, where he punched one of the squad's leader in the face. The leader was a foe that Batman himself had faced time and again; Bane.

Meanwhile, Kid Flash was dodging gun fire by both squads by speed-jumping on tree branches.

Suddenly, Robin appeared form above and began to fight the squad members, "What is wrong with you guys?" he scolded while fighting. "This mission is covert, remember? Why didn't you follow me and vanished in the jungle?"

Moriko arrived in the middle of the fight and began to help take down the remaining squad members, "How were we supposed to know that?" she growled as she elbowed a shooter in the face.

"We're not mind readers, you know," Kid Flash clarified before Miss Martian used her telekinesis to push the final squad members into trees, knocking them out. "Well, majority of us aren't," he corrected.

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The Team tied the squads up on the bases of trees, once the fight was over.

Aqualad finally regrouped with The Team and they were able to see exactly what was going on.

"Those uniforms," Robin said pointing to one squad team, "They belong to the Cult of Kobra."

"I'm certain Batman would've mentioned a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation," said Aqualad.

Robin nodded in agreement, "Since there's clearly no love lost between the cultists and these goons," he gestured to Bane and his squad, "I'm guessing Kobra got involved and tossed them out."

"Then the supply lines got cut off," Moriko concluded.

"So that's it," said Kid Flash, "Kobra wanted the super-cultists Venom. Mystery solved. Radio Bats and we'll be home in time for."

"These cultists aren't on Venom," Robin interrupted his best friend. "Kobra's hording the stuff. We can't leave yet...Not until I know why."

Superboy, Miss Martian, and Moriko all looked at one another, all thinking the same thing, 'Bad move, Boy Wonder.'

"Until 'you' know why?" argued Kid Flash.

"This team needs a leader!" Robin argued back.

Kid Flash half laughed, "Dude, you're a thirteen year old, who ducked out on us without a word!"

The two teenage boys continued fighting while Miss Martian spoke with Superboy and her cousin, "Do either of you want to lead?"

Superboy snorted and shook his head, "Nope."

"Me neither," said Moriko, "Too much pressure."

"What about you?" Superboy asked the Martian.

Miss Martian also half chuckled, "After the Twister fiasco, I doubt I'd be good at it."

"You did alright," Superboy praised, making the Martian blush.

Karin smirked and nudged the Boy of Steel with her elbow playfully, "Well, look at you Mr. Softy."

Superboy would have reacted to her remark, if he didn't hear a snicker come from their captives.

"**Look at them argue,"** a squad member whispered in Spanish.

"**Free yourself and take them while they're distracted,"** said another member to Bane.

Bane glared at the member, **"Quiet! For now I will play along,"** he said before smirking, **"They'll give me what I want."**

Moriko heard some of the quite conversation but couldn't understand anything that was said.

"YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE SUPER POWERS," yelled the speedster.

"NEITHER DOES BATMAN," argued the Boy Wonder.

Kid Flash laughed, "WELL YOU'RE NOT BATMAN, ARE YOU?"

"I'M THE CLOSEST THING WE GOT TO HIM!" retorted Robin.

Finally not being able to hold back, Bane laughed at the ordeal, "Clever niños. But you only know half the story. Why don't I show you the rest?" he offered. "I can get you into the factory, via my secret entrance."

Miss Martian attempted to read Bane's mind to see if he was telling the truth, "There is a secret entrance…but he's also hiding something." She tried to dig deeper into his mind, but Bane kept a smug look on his face. Giving a frustrated sigh, the Martian gave up, "I can't get a clear read on him. He's mentally reciting football scores. **En Español**."

"It's not complicated, chica," Bane told her. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," he quoted.

The Team looked at one another considering Banes offer.

Personally, Moriko didn't trust him. 'An enemy of any kind will always trick you,' she thought, hoping her friends would feel the same way as well. She lifted her hand up to pet Kirara's head gently bringing closer, "Kirara, if he betrays us, don't hesitate to take him down," she whispered to the neko, who nodded in reply.

Eventually, Aqualad nodded at the villain's offer.

Which made Bane smirk.

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Releasing Bane from the tree, The Team followed him until they got a clear visual of the factory from a cliff.

Robin used his binoculars to look closer at the Kobra members. Many of them were bringing out boxes from the factory that contained Venom, "A buy is about to go down," he informed his team mates but he was confused by the cults actions. "It doesn't look like they are selling it to the usual suspects…So, who're they selling the Venom to?"

"We need to identify that buyer," stated Aqualad.

Kid Flash nodded, "Just what I was thinking."

Robin snorted, "Yeah, you're the thinker."

"And you 'both' need to stop bickering," Moriko warned the both of them. Their fighting was really getting on her nerves.

Meanwhile, Bane revealed the secret entrance to the factory that he promised, by moving a giant bolder and revealed a tunnel. "This way," he gestured before walking inside.

"Oh, now he's the leader," Kid Flash complained, which received multiple nudges from his team mates, Moriko being one of them.

Once out of the tunnel, The Team and Bane found a door that led to one of the factories storage rooms.

Robin silently opened the door to inside the factory and saw none of the Kobra cult members around. "All clear," he said as he ran into the room and stealthed himself from his team's sight.

"Not again," Moriko mumbled as they all walked into the factory.

"Look stay put," Kid Flash told his team mates, "I'll get the information we need before the Boy Wonder comes back."

Aqualad began to protest but the speedster already ran off with his super-speed.

"Great chain of command," Bane commented sarcastically.

Forgetting their missing members, Aqualad, Moriko, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Bane all kept moving, and eventually hid themselves behind some massive boxes as they came across the Kobras working on their next delivery.

"It's a massive shipment," stated Aqualad silently, as he observed from their hiding spot.

Superboy nodded, "But they're only taking new products off the line. They're not touching any of the stuff already made," he gestured to the ones close by them.

"Maybe freshness counts," guessed Miss Martian.

"Or they altered the new product," suggested Moriko, alarmed at the thought. "Though I can't imagine how much worse Venom can get."

Superboy looked out the window and heard something loud in the distance outside, "Helicopters are coming."

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Kid Flash ran all over the facility until he finally found Robin hacking in to the factories computer system. "What'd you find?" the speedster asked while munching on an energy bar.

"Chemical formulas," answered the Boy Wonder as he continued using his hacking skills. "One is Venom but I can't identify the other one."

The speedster read the formula and recognized it immediately, "That's the Blockbuster formula from Cadmus." He quickly read the notes that the computer stored, "If mixed correctly Kobra's juice is three times stronger than Venom…and permanent. How the hell did Kobra get their hands on Project Blockbuster?"

Robin thought about it for a few moments until finally it came to him, "The mystery buyer," he concluded. "They must also be Kobra's supplier and whoever they are, their using the cult to create a Blockbuster/Venom super-formula." The Boy Wonder hit his com-ling, "Robin to Aqualad. We found out…Damn it. I'm getting only static," he told the speedster.

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Miss Martian used her camouflage abilities to hide herself from the Kobra members, and flew to the outside once the helicopter landed. _"Aqualad,"_ she said telepathically, _"Sending you a mental image of the buyer, now." _

The mystery buyer hopped off the helicopter and walked towards the leader of the cult, Lord Kobra. The buyer was a tall blond and muscular man, wearing all blue and sports gear. His face was covered with a white hockey mask.

"Sportsmaster," the Atlantean identified the villain. Knowing that the League needed to be informed immediately, he hit his com-link, "Aqualad to Red Tornado, do you read?" After a few moments, it became clear that the signal was being blocked. "Ugh, I can't reach the League, Robin, or Kid…We need a plan," he told Superboy and Moriko.

"I have a suggestion," said Bane before he jumped out of their hiding place and began attacking the Kobra members.

"That baka," Moriko growled in annoyance, before a roar gained her and her team mates attention.

Mammoth, Kobra's first volunteer of the Kobra-Venom, busted threw the window of the factory and attacked The Team. Aqualad, Superboy, and Moriko dodged the genetically altered villain and landed on the factory floor, where all Kobra members could see them.

"Destroy them," ordered Lord Kobra furiously.

Mammoth charged at The Team. Superboy quickly charged at the villain and began their battle of super-strength.

Kobra members began to shoot their guns at the remaining heroes. Aqualad ran in front of Moriko and used his magic of his twin Water-Bearers to create a shield around them, protecting them from the bullets.

Kirara jumped off Moriko's shoulder as she transformed to her yōkai form and began attacking the members, disarming them of their weapons.

With the Kobra cult members distracted by the neko, Moriko used her yōkai agility to jump into the air, over Aqualad, and landed on one of the Kobra members scratching him with her claws. She knew exactly how to impale a person with her claws without kill them. It was a struggle at first but now the ability came as easy as breathing to her.

As more Kobra cult members came into the warehouse, Robin, Miss Martian and Kid Flash made their way into battle.

"Miss Martian," Aqualad yelled through all the commotion, as he whipped a member with one of his Water-Bearer, "Our radios are jammed. Link us up."

It took a moment for the Martian to recover from an attack she received from Sportsmaster but she did as ordered. "_Everyone online?_" she asked telepathically.

"_Yeah,"_ Superboy said reluctantly, still not in favor of telepathy.

"_You know it, beautiful,"_ said Kid Flash.

"_You better watch it Kid,"_ Moriko retorted.

"_Good,"_ said Aqualad, _"We need to regroup."_

"_Busy now,"_ Robin yelled, since he was now facing Lord Kobra and his female accomplice, Shimmer, by himself.

"_Now,"_ ordered Aqualad. _"We need to retreat. Kid, clear a path."_

Using his super-speed, Kid Flash knocked out all of the Kobra cult members in his path as The Team retreated back to the storage room that led to the secret passage way.

Mammoth and a few Kobra followers entered the passage way and began to fire their guns.

"Superboy, the support beams," Aqualad shouted, "Take them out."

The Boy of Steel did what was ordered and caused a cave in, keeping the Kobra members and Mammoth out.

But also trapping The Team trapped in.

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Using a glow stick, which the Boy Wonder kept in his utility belt, he lite the cave so The Team could see one another. Robin now had a chance to breathe and think about what had just transpired, "How? How can my first mission as leader go so wrong?"

"You already know the answer Robin-kun," said Moriko firmly but still understanding, "You said the reason at The Cave…you have the most experience."

"And it's what has left him unprepared," Aqualad said agreeing with her before turning to the Boy Wonder. "Fighting along with Batman for so long…your roles are defined, so you don't need to talk to each other. But this team is new, and the leader has to be clear, explicit. He cannot vanish and expect others to play parts in an unknown plan."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands," argued Robin trying to defend his right to lead. But he wasn't fooling anyone, not even himself. The young boy sighed, "Who am I kidding?...You should be the one leading us, Kaldur. You're the only one who can."

Kid Flash looked insulted, "Please, I can run circles."

"And trip over rocks," Moriko interjected, making the speedster pout.

"Come on, Wally," said Robin, "You know he's the one."

"Hello Megan," Miss Martian taped her forehead, "It's so obvious."

Superboy shrugged, "I could have told you that."

Kirara gave an encouraging nudge on the Atlantean's arm, her way of showing approval of leading her charge. Aqualad rubbed her ear, showing his appreciation.

"It's all you, Kaldur-san" Moriko praised.

Kid Flash finally admitted to himself that everyone was right and shrugged, "Yeah, okay."

Aqualad nodded, "I will except the burden," he said before placing a hand on Robin's shoulder, "Until you're ready. You were born to lead this team. Not now…but soon."

"So," interrupted Moriko, "What's the plan?"

Aqualad shifted into his new role as leader, "Our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving this island."

Robin chuckled, "Funny, I had the same thought."

Moriko gave him a suspicious look, "What did you do?"

"I sabotaged the helicopter before facing Lord Kobra," the Boy Wonder answered with pride.

"Nice," Kid Flash acclaimed.

Aqualad also nodded in approval, "Then let's move out."

The Team began to run down the tunnel towards the secret entrance that Bane had shown them before.

"Something's still bugging me," said Robin while running, "Sportsmaster is the supplier and the buyer. But he doesn't have the influence to acquire the Blockbuster formula or to get Kobra to do his dirty work."

"There's also no way that either of them could bond Blockbuster with Venom," stated Kid Flash. "That takes some major nerdeg."

Moriko was beginning to understand their meaning, "So there's another 'player' involved."

"I think the expression is, 'the tip of the ice berg,'" said Aqualad as they reached the exit.

Which was blocked by Bane.

"Halt, niños," he said as he dropped four empty syringes to the ground. Bane had injected himself with Venom. "I'm feeling…explosive," he said as he revealed a detonator.

The Team finally noticed that the entrance was wired with explosives.

"Why?" gritted Aqualad to the villain.

"I wanted my factory back," Bane said simply.

As the villain began ranting his plan, Aqualad glanced at Kid Flash, _"You'll need a running start,"_ he said through the telepathic link, which was still established.

The speedster began to slowly back up.

"I figured you'd either take down my enemy, or die trying," Bane concluded.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Moriko mocked.

Bane chuckled, "The Justice League will come once they know their 'sidekicks' are in trouble. And once I'm done with them, Santa Prisca will be mine again."

The Venom user lifted his hand to hit the detonator…which was now missing from his hand.

"Looking for something?" Kid Flash mocked form behind Bane, with the detonator in his hand.

Bane growled in anger as he prepared to hit the speedster with his fist.

Miss Martian used her powers to levitate the Venom enraged Bane off the ground.

Superboy got close and smirked, "Finally," he said pleased, "Drop him."

The Martian released the villain, making Bane fall right into Superboy's fist, knocking him out cold.

"Damn," cursed Moriko, "I promised Kirara that she could take him 'when' he betrayed us."

Kirara hissed at Bane's unconscious body, making The Team laugh.

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_Factory Ten Minutes Later_

Right when the fixed helicopter was about to take off, Kid Flash used his super-speed to take out the Kobra cult members.

"Take the shipment," Lord Kobra ordered Sportsmaster.

Suddenly, Superboy landed in front of Lord Kobra and Mammoth, "Round two," he taunted. Mammoth growled and charged at the Boy of Steel, only to be stuck by a powerful water attack provided by Aqualad' Water-Barriers. "Sorry," Superboy said sarcastically, "Not the plan."

Sporstmaster pulled out a gun and began to shoot at Superboy. Though it wasn't fatal, the shots were crippling to the Boy of Steel. Miss Martian tried to sneak up on Sports Master, only to have her dodge her attack and put the Martian in a vise grip, while still shooting at Superboy. Kirara roared as she flew and disarmed Sportsmaster's of his weapon with her teeth, while Moriko jumped off the neko's back and spin kicked the villain in the back of the head. This made him release Miss Martian from his grasp.

Sportsmaster managed to block Moriko's next few blows till he finally managed to grab one of her legs and threw her at Superboy and Miss Martian, knocking them all down. "Thanks for the workout, but I gotta fly," he said retreating into the helicopter.

Superboy managed to recover as the helicopter began to take off, ready to stop the helicopter if necessary. Miss Martian stopped him by putting her hand on his arm, and showed the detonator that Bane used in the hidden passage. A bomb was hidden in one of the shipments that she placed before attacking Sportsmaster. With one push of the button, the Kobra-Venom was destroyed, and the helicopter came flying down. Sporstmaster jumped out of the helicopter with a parachute at the last minute and escaped in the jungle.

The remains of the helicopter landed right on top of the factory and engulfed the building in flames.

"Uhh," said Moriko leaning into Miss Martian and Superboy, "Was that part of the plan?"

"Let's just say it was," suggested Miss Martian nervously.

"Agreed," said Superboy.

Hearing a yell of annoyance, The Team turned their attention to Lord Kobra. He was completely furious about the destruction of the factory, as he was holding down Robin with his foot. "I'm plagued by mosquitos!"

"Good," grunted Robin as he used his legs to get out from under Lord Kobra's foot, "Cause this mosquitos mighty concerted over your pain."

The Team gathered by Robin and readied themselves to fight Lord Kobra.

Realizing how outnumbered he was, Lord Kobra sighed and retreated to the shadows of the jungle, "Another time, then."

Robin sighed as he looked around the area, "Well, we picked the right guy to lead," he smirked at Aqualad. "Making you the right person to explain this mess to Batman," he gestured to the demolished factory that was still in flames and laughed.

The Atlantean looked frightened of the thought.

"Poor guy," Moriko said as she petted Kirara on her head, who nodded in agreement.

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_Mount Justice July 23, 10:01 EDT_

"A simple recon mission," Batman recited as he glared at Aqualad, "Observe and report." He then proceeded to walk down the row of team members. "Each of you will receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes." The Dark Knight stopped at the end of the row and faced The Team, "Until then…good job."

The young heroes looked at Batman confused by the praise.

"No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy," Batman said in understanding. "How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success. And how you choose who leads determines character." Aqualad and Robin smiled at that last part. "Dismissed," the Dark Knight ordered as he walked away.

"Okay," Karin said mystified, "Did Batman just…compliment us?" Kirara meowed from her charges shoulder, answering yes.

M'gann chuckled at her cousin's amazement, and was thankful that weren't scolded too harshly.

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_Karin's Room: One Hour Later _

"So, the helicopter crashed 'on top' of the building," Kagome repeated from her daughters laptop screen, surprised.

Karin nodded, "Yep…and we completely meant to do that."

The miko looked at her in disbelief, "Riiight. Well, at least you completed your first mission," she said smiling, "Your Outo-san and I are very proud of you and M'gann."

Karin smiled.

**Does anyone else wonder if the team really planed the helicopter to crash on the factory? Seriously, it takes some serious "nerdeg" to calculate that just right. Anyway, what do you guys think of Karin being on the first mission? Next time: Training and heated discussions. **

**Till Then My Reader**


	6. Access: A Whole Lot of Trouble

To Be a Hero

**A special thanks to Anime hotty lover.18, chibi-no-baka, BatmanFanatic123,****Inu-Hanyou2016, and Kitsune's Den for your awesome reviews and support.**

Disclaimer: (*sigh* Here I go again) I do not own Inuyasha or Young Justice. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and the Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. The only character I own is Karin/Moriko. Please don't sue me. (Man, I've got to come up with better material for this)

Chapter 6: Access: A Whole Lot of Trouble

_Mount Justice August 13, 13:06 EDT_

Moriko watched as Aqualad and Kid Flash played holographic air hockey, while standing next to Miss Martian.

Just as Aqualad missed blocking the final shot, the computer announced a new arrival from the zeta tube, "_Recognize, Superboy B04."_

The Boy of Steel walked into The Cave with an irritated look on his face.

"Hey, how was Metropolis?" Miss Martian asked him.

Superboy ignored her and folded his arms.

"That great," Moriko said sarcastically, guessing that something must have happened to Superboy that upset him. A throat clearing interrupted her thoughts.

Black Canary walked into the training room, with Martian Manhunter and Miko right behind her. "So, who's ready for training?" she asked.

"Uncle J`onn, Aunt Kagome," Miss Martian greeted, while flying to her Earth guardians to embrace them.

"What are you both doing here?" Moriko asked her parents while smiling ecstatically.

Miko chuckled, "What, we need a reason to see our two favorite girls?" she said hugging her daughter.

"We were just in the neighborhood," Martian Manhunter explained, "And we wanted to see how you both were adjusting."

Miss Martian shrugged, "A few bumps and bruises but we're learning."

Martian Manhunter smiled in delight, "That's all we could ask of you both."

Superboy watched the family moment and couldn't help but be envious of their relationship. He had a run in with Superman earlier that day, and their conversation wasn't as affection as the one he just witnessed. Sighing, Superboy began to walk out of The Cave.

"Stick around," Black Canary called to the Boy of Steel, "Class is now in session," she said, while activating the training grounds in the center of the room. The hero turned to the rest of the group, "I consider it an honor to be your teacher. I'll throw a lot at you. What I learned from my own mentors." She took off her purple jacket and winced from a fresh wound on her arm, "And my own bruises."

"Dinah-san," Miko said concerned, "Why didn't you tell me? I could have healed that for you."

Black Canary held her hand out to silence her friend, "It's nothing that won't heal in a few days. And I know you had to heal a lot of the League members already."

"From what?" asked Moriko.

"What happened?" questioned Miss Martian.

"The job," answered Black Canary, "Your first lesson: combat. It's about control of the conflict. Putting the battle on your terms. You should always be acting, and never reacting." The hero looked around the group, "I'll need a sparring partner."

"Right here," Kid Flash offered, raising his hand immediately, while eating a banana. He walked up to stand in front of Black Canary. "After this," he threw the banana peel into a trash can close by, "I'll show you my moves."

Moriko leaned in to her mother, "**He's doomed isn't he?**" she whispered in Japanese.

"**Yep,"** Miko responded with a giant smirk behind her mask.

Black Canary smirked at the speedster's cockiness, knowing that the battle was already hers. In just a few short moves, Kid Flash was flat on his back. The holographic words 'Kid Flash Status: Fail' flashed next to him.

Kid Flash groaned on the ground, "It hurts so good," he said unconvincingly.

"Anyone see what he did wrong?" Black Canary asked the rest of The Team as she helped Kid Flash up.

"Oh, oh," Robin said while raising his hand anxiously, "He hit on teacher and got served."

"Dude," Kid Flash said screeched to his best friend, who kept laughing.

Black Canary shook her head in seriousness, "He allowed me to dictate the terms."

"Oh please," Superboy complained, making all eyes turn to him. "With my powers the battle is always on my terms. I'm a living weapon. And this," he gestured to the training ground, "This is a waste of my time."

Black Canary gave a taunting look, "Prove it then," she challenged.

Miko's eyes saddened at Superboy's obvious issues, "_That poor boy_," she thought to her husband's mind.

"_Indeed,"_ he replied in agreement. _"Bruce informed me of the boy's conversation with Clark. He thinks maybe you and him should have a talk with Clark on his behavior towards the boy."_

"_I'll see what I can do. But you know how stubborn Superman can be,"_ she replied just as Superboy attacked Black Canary. As predicted the hero took down the Boy of Steel faster than with Kid Flash.

Robin laughed out loud once it was over. Aqualad nudged the Boy Wonder to silence him but all he did was suppress his laughter behind his hands.

Superboy growled in frustration as the holographic words 'Superboy Status: Fail' appeared next to him.

"Your angry," said Black Canary, "Good, channel that anger."

Superboy didn't listen as he charged the hero again. Black Canary dodged by flipping above the clones head and taking him down with a spin kick.

Robin continued laughing, amused by how easy the 'living weapon' was defeated.

"That's it," said the angry Superboy, "I'm done!"

"Training is mandatory," stated Black Canary.

That's when Miko came up with an idea, "How about we show them how it's done," she proposed to her friend. And took her sword out of her obi, quiver of arrows, her bow, and the two knives she kept in her boots, and placed them on the ground.

Black Canary smirked at her team mate and friend, "You read my mind."

The miko and canary cryer both went into their fighting stances. Superboy sighed in annoyance as he walked over to The Team and Martian Manhunter. He didn't see the point of Miko fighting Black Canary, 'If I can't take her down, what chance does she have?'

"Go Kaa-san," Moriko cheered for her mother.

Aqualad looked at her, "How do the sparring matches usually end for your mother and Black Canary?"

"Pretty evenly from the few times I've seen them," said Moriko.

"I believe Black Canary won the last match," clarified Martian Manhunter.

That being said, the fight commenced. Both female heroes charged at the same time. Miko threw the first punch which Black Canary blocked and countered with another punch, which Miko dodged.

Back and forth the women negated each blow. The Team watched in awe by how graceful and powerful the heroes looked.

"Wow," said Miss Martian awestruck, "I had no idea Aunt Kagome was so skilled."

Martian Manhunter smiled with pride on how well his wife was doing in the match. Kagome didn't train hard in order to show how powerful she was, it was to protecting the innocent and those she cared for. It's one of the many things he loved about her.

After a few more minutes, Martian Manhunter finally spoke, "I think The Team gets the message."

The women paused in their fight, "Call it a draw?" suggested the miko.

"Draw it is," Black Canary replied smiling, "You've been improving on your skills, Kagome."

"You can thank Diana Nee-san for that," she replied walking off the training ground.

"That was awesome," Kid Flash said impressed.

Superboy turned his gaze away in anger. Completely frustrated on how Miko, a human female, lasted much longer than him and Kid Flash combined.

Suddenly, an alert sounded in The Cave and Batman's face appeared on a holographic screen. "Batman to The Cave," he said, allowing for The Team and League members to gather. "Five hours ago, a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary. The attacker was capable of studying, then duplicating the powers and abilities of his opponents." A footage was shown of Superman, Flash, and Red Tornado fighting the new menace. "Arrow called in reinforcements which later proved disastrous, as the opponent grew more powerful with each League member he faced."

"Whoa," said Kid Flash, "One guy that has the power of the entire the League."

"Dibs on not fighting that guy," jested Moriko.

"In the end," Batman continued, "It took eight League members four hours to defeat and dismantle the android."

"An android," repeated the Boy Wonder, "Who made it? T.O. Morrow?"

"Good guess, Robin," praised Batman.

Superboy looked down to the ground as yet another mentor fawning over their protégé.

"But Red Tornado doesn't think so," Batman continued.

"The technology resembles that of Professor Ivo," informed Martian Manhunter.

"But," interrupted Aqualad, "Professor Ivo is dead."

Black Canary shook her head, "That's what we all thought…or hoped."

"Turns out he was in hiding," Miko stated, "Plotting his next big scheme."

"To make sure that the threat is permanently neutralized," Batman continued, "We're sending two trucks that contain parts of the android and sending them to two different STARR Lab facilities in Boston and New York, for immediate evaluation. We have four additional decoy trucks to create confusion in case Ivo, or anyone else, attempts to gather the remains. That's where The Team comes in," he clarified to the protégés. "You will split into undercover teams, to safe guard the two real trucks."

"Yes," cheered Kid Flash, "Road trip."

Superboy wasn't as thrilled, "So we're here to take out 'your' trash?"

"You have something better to do?" Batman challenged.

Superboy didn't respond.

"We're on our way," Aqualad told the Dark Knight.

"All of you be careful out there," Miko urged The Team.

"We will," said Moriko before heading out to the hanger.

Black Canary halted Superboy before he left, he glared as she spoke, "When you're ready, I'll be here," she told him support.

Superboy's glare softened slightly, before he continued to head to the hanger.

Miko sighed at the exchange. She could tell that Superboy was a good kid, and just wanted to be acknowledged by the one person who could understand him. 'Bruce-san is right, we need to talk to talk to Clark Nii-san.'

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_Litchfield County August 3, 20:08 EDT _

The Team split into two separate groups with Kaldur, Wally and M`gann then Superboy, Karin, and Robin.

The League packaged and secured the remains of the android into the two trucks. When Batman gave the order, the trucks left to their destination. The Team groups followed their assigned trucks on their specialized motorcycles.

After hitting the Interstate Robin scooted cycle next to Superboy, who was next to Karin in the next lane over. Kirara was in her small form settled in a pouch around Karin's waist.

"So," said the Boy Wonder who was trying to make small talk, "If dislike is the opposite of like, is disaster the opposite of aster? See, instead of things going wrong, they go right."

Karin thought it over, "Huh, that actually makes sense."

Superboy ignored the comments.

"Looks like someone's not feeling the aster," said Robin.

"What's up with you?" asked Karin.

"Canary," Superboy answered, "What business does she have, teaching combat skills to a guy with super strength?"

"Taking down stronger guys is part of the gig," Robin explained, "She had to learn that the hard way. Same with Batman and me."

"Same with me and my Kaa-san," Karin told the boys, "She didn't learn to fight like that overnight...Maybe you should try listening to what Canary can offer you," she suggested to the Boy of Steel. Superboy went back to ignoring his team mates and speeded up his motorcycle. "Or not," she said rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, definitely no aster," Robin concluded.

Suddenly, multiple fast moving objects zoomed past The Team members and slammed onto the truck.

Karin glared to identify what the objects were but had trouble contemplating what she saw, "Are those…robotic monkeys?"

They were.

A team of grey robotically monkeys with green lightened eyes, which made monkey noises as they began to climb around the truck.

"_Robin,"_ said Kaldur on the com-link, _"Our truck is being attacked." _

"We kind of figured that," Robin responded. "Robot monkeys are totally Ivo's style."

Superboy looked at the monkeys in disgust, 'I. Hate. Monkeys."

The truck driver swerved as the monkeys began to break into the truck.

Both Robin and Karin activated their specialize motorcycles into Battle Mode.

"Switch your bike," ordered Robin to Superboy.

"No point," replied Superboy as he super-jumped off his moving bike and landed on the truck. His bike began to skew right in front of Robin and Karin.

Thinking fast Robin and Karin jumped off their bikes. Kirara jumped out of the pouch, transformed into her yōkai form and caught Karin on her back. Robin shot a grappling line onto the truck, pulled himself onto the trucks trailer and began to fight the robot monkeys.

In the air, more robot monkeys arrived and began to shoot lasers at The Team. Kirara and Karin scattered across the swarm and tried to take down the flying robotic primates in the air. The Battle Mode portion of the motorcycles also aided in shooting the flying robot monkeys.

As Superboy fought, one of the monkey's lasers shot him in the eyes. While distracted, multiple monkeys grabbed the Boy of Steel, flew into the air, and tossed him down the road.

"Superboy!" Karin yelled worried, as she and Kirara tried to retrieve him but the monkeys blocked their attempts.

Robin continued to fight of the monkeys on the truck. Two managed to create a hole on the inside of the truck's trailer. Despite the armed guards on the inside of the truck, the monkeys apprehended the weapons that they had been ordered to retrieve.

Superboy, who was slightly blinded physically and by rage, super-jumped from his spot on the road and landed on top of the truck's trailer. Ruthlessly crushing any robot monkey that he could get his hands on.

As a last resort, the monkeys attacked the tires of the truck, making it swerve off the road.

Kirara flew next to the truck, "The driver," Karin reminded the Boy Wonder.

Robin opened the truck's door, grabbed hold of the driver, and jumped onto the flying neko.

As the truck skewed and tipped over on the road, Superboy hanged on to its trailer for dear life. While the monkeys grabbed the android parts and retreated.

Enraged by what had happened, Superboy stood up from the wreckage and super-jumped towards the retreating robot monkeys with the cargo.

Kirara lowered to the ground, the driver grunted as he collapsed to the road from the whole ordeal.

"Superboy, wait!" yelled Robin as he watched the Boy of Steel getting farther away.

"_Aqualad to Robin,"_ the Atlantean said on the com-link, "_We lost our cargo. Did you?"_

"It's gone," Robin answered, "And so is one of my partners."

"Baka," Karin criticized Superboy's stubbornness.

Kaldur groaned as he tried to contact their missing teammate, _"Aqualad to Superboy. Radio your position and we'll help you." _

Superboy snarled, "_Don't need help_. _Don't want any!_" he yelled before ripping out the com-link from his ear and tossing it to the ground.

"_Superboy?"_ Kaldur called again.

"I think he ditched his com-link," stated Robin.

"_And he's out of my telepathic range,"_ said Miss Martian.

"_Oh terrific,"_ complained Kid Flash. _"Now we have no way of tracking him."_

"Actually, we can," said Karin through the com-link, "I can track Superboy by smell."

Kaldur thought it over, _"Can you catch up to him?" _

"Eventually I could," she said confidently, "Should I go help him?"

"_Go,"_ Kaldur ordered.

Karin looked over at the motorcycles that were totaled. 'Great,' she thought sarcastically before turning Kirara, "Stay and help Robin," she told the neko before running though the field in Superboy's direction. "Kami I hope he doesn't do anything stupid."

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_Metropolis August 3, 21:18 EDT_

Inside of Bilbo's Diner, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, and Kagome Higurashi-J`onzz were all sharing a booth.

"Apple pie," Clark told their waiter his order.

"Strawberry cheesecake, please," ordered Kagome.

"The Devil's Food," ordered Bruce.

Once the waiter left, Clark stared at his two friends, "Something tells me this isn't about desert."

"Well aren't you smart," Kagome teased.

Bruce was more serious, "The boy...he needs you, Clark."

"No," he responded quickly, "He needs you. He needs Red Tornado. He even needs you," he gestured to Kagome, "But I'm just a reminder of what he's not."

Bruce glared, "You're wrong."

Kagome shook her head at the man that she saw as an older brother, "I know what this is really about." Clark raised a brow, "You're scared."

"Of what?" Clark challenged her.

"Of being a parent," Kagome replied. Before Clark could protest, she continued, "It doesn't' matter what you think of him, Nii-san. He. IS. Yours."

Clark snorted, "That's easy for you to say. You're not in this situation. "

"Right," she said sarcastically, "It was easy, becoming a parent at sixteen, not having anything higher than a middle school education, and no job." Clark cringed at her tone, hearing the hurt in her voice. "I was scared out of my mind when I found out I was going to have Karin by myself," Kagome persisted. "And so soon after Inuyasha was brainwashed and was ordered to kill me by his ex-lover. You think I wasn't overwhelmed by all of it?"

The Man of Steel turned his gaze away.

"But you know what?" Kagome said regaining his attention, "It didn't matter, how I felt or how everything happened the way it did…Because all that mattered from the moment I became a mother was Karin. It's what a parent does. And you Nii-san, whether you like it or not, are that boy's father."

Clark banged the table, "I'm not his father," he argued before getting up and going to the cashier, "I'll take that pie to go."

Kagome sighed and put her head in her hands in defeat.

"He'll come around with time," Bruce told her putting a soothing hand on her shoulder.

"Hai, but how long will he take, Bruce-san?" she asked him, "The longer he waits…the more the boy will suffer."

Bruce nodded in agreement, and if there was one thing he knew about Superman, is that he was stubborn. He only hoped that his friend will realize what's right for Superboy, before it's too late.

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_Gotham City August 3, 21:21 EDT_

Moriko, who quickly changed to her hero outfit, tracked Superboy from the farm land, all the way to the boarder of Gotham City. His scent was getting stronger as she came across the rail road tracks. She continued to follow the scent, down the track until she caught up with a train. 'He must have got on the train,' she concluded as she jumped aboard.

Running down the trail of cars, Moriko spotted one with a noticeable hole ripped on the top, "Got you," she said as she came up to the opening and jumped inside.

Once Moriko landed inside the train car, she heard a robotic voice. "Access: Captain Atom," said the android before hitting her in the chest with a blast that was similar to the hero, Captain Atom.

Moriko was pushed to the back of the train by the blast, where Superboy laid on the ground since he had also been hit by the android.

"Why did you follow me?" Superboy shouted at Moriko in anger.

"Cause you needed back up," she reasoned, as she got up from the rubble around her.

"Hmm," said another voice in the train, "Another brat…No matter, since Professor Ivo's magnificent M.O.N.K.I.E.S doesn't suit to Superboy's taste, perhaps my amazing A.M.A.Z.O can do better," Professor Ivo stepped out of the way to reveal his fully functioning android.

"Take your best shot," Superboy taunted.

Ivo laughed, "Please, my A.M.A.Z.O has the strength of Superman. What chance could you two possibly have?"

Superboy snarled at the comment.

"Oh great," Moriko mumbled. It took Justice League members hours to take A.M.A.Z.O down, 'How do we stop it?' she thought, starting to become afraid. That's when she remembered what her uncle had taught her.

"_The minute you show fear to your opponent, is the moment you are defeated,"_ said Sesshōmaru in Moriko's memory. When Karin's uncle trained her in her yōkai abilities, he knew that her human blood would grab the attention of many unwanted full blooded yōkai. So he taught her an important lesson on opponents who seemed formidable, _"Any challenger can be defeated. You study their movement. You learn their flaws. And once you find it, you use it against them."_

Moriko took a steady breath and stood up from the ground. 'A flaw,' she thought, 'We need to find the android's flaw.'

Before she could say something to Superboy, he charged at A.M.A.Z.O. The android easily blocked each punch that the clone offered, until finally throwing his own that sent Superboy flying to the back of the train once more.

Moriko took a fighting stance, ready to face the android.

A.M.A.Z.O scanned his opponent, "Access: Black Canary," he said before using the canary cry he copied from the real Black Canary.

Moriko grabbed her ears in pain and cursed her sensitive hearing. Superboy also gripped his ears in pain as he fell to the canary cry.

The android stopped, "Access: Flash," he said before using super speed to attack Superboy. Moriko tried to strike the android from behind. A.M.A.Z.O quickly turned and back handed her in the face, making her slam into the train car's wall.

Superboy grunted as he tried to stand up from the ground.

"Oh, no wonder your 'daddy' keeps you hidden away," said Ivo. "You're not really doing justice to the old 'S' shield, are you?" he mocked before chuckling.

Enraged, Superboy attacked the android again.

"Access: Martian Manhunter," said A.M.A.Z.O, before he phase shifted, making the Boy of Steel's punch go right through him. Once the attack failed, the android became solid and punched Superboy in the face, making him fall right out of the train and onto the next train car.

Moriko groaned as she got up from the ground, and saw A.M.A.Z.O jump out of the train car before quickly following him.

"Access: Superman," said the android.

"No!" Moriko yelled, as she used her yōkai agility to jump and attack the android with her claws. A.M.A.Z.O caught her arm and with his free one, picked Superboy up and threw both heroes into the air, as far as he could throw.

Thinking quickly, Superboy used his strength to grab hold of Moriko's arm and embraced her in midair before they crashed into a window at Gotham Academy.

Ivo laughed from his view of the train car, "Finish them," he ordered his android, "Priority Alpha."

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_Gotham City Border_

"Not gonna lie, you're a lot cooler to ride then the cycle," Robin said to Kirara, as they flew into the Gotham City Limits. The neko purred at the compliment.

Suddenly, Kid Flash came up next to them, "Hey man, nice ride," he joked to his friend, "You still tracking the android parts?"

By using one of the M.O.N.K.I.E.S from the wreckage, Robin was able to see where exactly the android parts had been taken with his holographic wrist computer. "They were headed through Gotham," said Robin as he looked at his holographic arm computer, "But they veered to," he stopped mid-sentence as he saw the location of the parts. "Wait…dude, they're at my school."

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_Gotham Academy_

Moriko grumbled as she lifted her head up and realized she was laying on top of an unconscious Superboy. He had used his body to protect her from their harsh landing.

"Superboy," she called, while lightly shaking him awake.

It took a few moments for the clone's eyes to open, "You–you okay?" he mumbled.

Moriko nodded before she realized she was still laying on top of him, "Gomennasi," she apologized getting off of him.

Suddenly, A.M.A.Z.O flew into the hole in the wall of the building, "Access: Flash," he said before charging with super-speed, grabbing both young heroes by their collars, and threw them into the halls of the school. Moriko crashed into a tiled wall, hitting her head hard against it before falling to the ground.

Superboy, was thrown into a trophy case. He glanced over at his teammate and saw that she was unconscious from the attack. 'I got to get A.M.A.Z.O away from her,' he thought with urgency.

A moment later, the android appeared in front of Superboy, grabbed him by the collar, and spun him around like a rag doll before finally releasing him. Superboy crashed through multiple walls before he stopped in the science lab.

The Boy of Steel groaned in pain but was secretly grateful that the android focus was away from Moriko, "That the best you got?" he taunted.

"Access: Captain Atom," said A.M.A.Z.O before firing an energy blast.

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_A Few Minutes Later _

Moriko felt something nudge at her side. Opening her amber eyes she met a pair of big red eyes, "Kirara," she said relieved. Slowly, she got up from her place on the ground, leaning a little on the yōkai neko for support.

That's when she heard the sound of a fight coming from another part of the building. Moriko shook off any soreness she felt and began to jog to the battle.

Opening a set of twin doors, Moriko saw Kid Flash, who arrived on the scene only moments ago with Robin, as he tried to dodge one of the android's energy attacks inside the school's gym.

"Access: Black Canary," said A.M.A.Z.O as he used the siren call to attack the speedster. Kid Flash grabbed his ears in pain as the force of the wail made him fly back to the twin doors that Moriko was standing in.

"Glad you could join the party," Moriko said sarcastically as she helped the speedster up.

"Yep," answered the Kid Flash, "Not a party unless The Wall-Man shows up, Pretty Eyes," The speedster charged at the android with super-speed, right after he'd plummeted Superboy into the bleachers nearby.

A.M.A.Z.O wrapped his arms around the speedster, "Access: Superman," he said before crushing the young hero in his arms.

Kid Flash screamed in agony.

"Kid!" The Team yelled.

Suddenly, the android turned his head, "Access: Martian Manhunter," he said before phase shifting, allowing an arrow to pass threw him and releasing his prisoner from his grasp.

"What the hell?" Moriko said to no one in particular, 'Where'd that arrow come from?'

Superboy charged at the android once he got out of the bleachers, "Access: Black Canary," said A.M.A.Z.O as he grabbed the clone and tossed him to the other side of the room, where he landed on more bleachers.

Robin threw multiple shuriken at the android that exploded once they made contact with their target, only to have no effect. "Access: Superman," said A.M.A.Z.O as he aimed his heat vision on the Boy Wonder. Kid Flash raced to his best friend and grabbed him just as the heat lasers were shot.

Moriko and Kirara charged at the android. A.M.A.Z.O allowed the neko to grab a hold of his shoulder with her fangs in order to grab the feline by the neck and toss her to the wall. Moriko tried to spin kick the android in the head, only to have him grab her ankle and tossed her to the bleachers.

Superboy lifted himself up from his spot on the wrecked bleachers and saw the android, Professor Ivo, and his friends all around the gym. His team mates were in trouble and he wanted to crush the android and his master.

But that was his anger talking.

Superboy realized that every time he attacked, he was allowing the android 'to dictate the terms,' he thought of Black Canary's words. No, his head on attacks won't work. He needed a new way of thinking, "Access…Black Canary."

Ivo mocked yawned, "Normally, I'd have A.M.A.Z.O study your abilities during battle, but what's the point? You are all just poor copies of the originals."

Superboy realized what he needed to do and smirked, "So everyone says and it MAKES ME ANGRY!" he yelled as he super-jumped off the bleachers and aimed for his target.

Professor Ivo.

The android's master ducked out of the way of the attack.

Moriko moaned in pain as she got up from the bleachers and saw Professor Ivo cowering a few bleachers below her.

"YOU WANT TO SEE ME 'CHANNEL' THAT ANGER," Superboy yelled, secretly hoping that his team mates will get the message.

A smirk slowly appeared on Moriko's face and nodded. She released her yōkai claws and attacked Professor Ivo.

"A.M.A.Z.O," Ivo cried as he dodged Moriko's claws, "Protect your master. Priority Alpha." The Professor barley made the order before Superboy almost smashed him from above.

The android heard the command and obeyed, "Access: Captain Atom," he said before hitting Superboy with an energy blast.

"Okay, that is getting really old," Moriko said annoyed as she helped Superboy up from the rubble. "Seriously, if he says that hunk of metal says 'Access' one more time I'll," she said before pausing in movement.

"What?" asked Superboy.

"Accessing," she quoted, "He has to access the abilities one at a time…and for that brief second."

"He's vulnerable," Superboy finished the sentence in realization.

Moriko smirked, "That's the android's flaw."

"Anyone else want to play keep away," called Robin as he stopped Ivo from escaping with his M.O.N.K.I.E.S

"Oh me, me, me," Kid Flash said in excitement, as he ran toward Ivo.

"Access: Superman," said the A.M.A.Z.O as he smashed his foot to the ground with super-strength, causing the ground to quake and Kid Flash to trip away from Ivo.

Robin threw his shuriken at the android.

"Access: Martian Manhunter," said A.M.A.Z.O before he began to phase shift.

"Now," Moriko told Superboy.

The clone jumped from his spot on the bleachers to right in front of the android when he phased shifted. Throwing a punch right threw his head.

"Access: Superman," the android said before changing powers and becoming once more. With Superboy's fist still in his head.

Suddenly, A.M.A.Z.O's head exploded causing the android's body to collapse.

"Quick," said Robin running to the android, "Help me disassemble him."

Kid Flash raised a brow, "Umm dude, he doesn't have a head."

"Don't take any chances," ordered Aqualad as he entered the gym with Miss Martian in tow.

The Martian saw Superboy and Moriko the most injured, "Oh my gosh, are you both alright?"

Kirara walked over to her charge and Moriko leaned on her for support, "I'm good," she said unconvincingly, her injuries and exhaustion finally taking its toll on her.

"I'm fine," said Superboy, "Just…feeling the aster."

Robin smirked at the word.

"Wait," Kid Flash looked around the room, "Where's Ivo?"

The android maker had vanished.

"I'll find him," Moriko said while wobbling. Kirara sensed her charges distress and managed to catch her charge on her back, right before Moriko fell forward and passed out.

"Karin!" Miss Martian said alarmed.

Aqualad checked his passed out team mates pulse, "She only fainted. We'll call on Miko in to heal her and she'll be fine."

Superboy looked his team mate's unconscious form and felt guilty. If he hadn't run off Moriko wouldn't have been injured as much as she was, 'It's my fault.'

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_Mount Justice August 4__th__, 01:06 EDT _

Miko healed what was left of her daughters injures, "Remind me again why me and your Outo-san allowed you to go in the field?"

"Cause you love me?" Karin asked humorously, causing her mother to chuckle.

"The A.M.A.Z.O android is dismantled," reported Aqualad to Batman, as he stood with Red Tornado, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Martian Manhunter. Miko continued to heal the other protégés during their talk. "The remains are being studied at the two STARR labs…but Ivo escape. Since he is the originator of the technology. He may be more of a threat then the android."

Black Canary nodded, "Capturing Ivo will be a League priority."

"But from our understanding," said Martian Manhunter, "Your mission acquired other complications." The Martian glared at Superboy, who was in part of the reason why his step-daughter was harmed.

The Team members also looked at Superboy in accusation.

The clone looked away from the stares and at looked at the woman healing him. Surprisingly, Miko was glaring at her husband instead of him, as if telling the Martian to 'calm down' with her gaze.

"Complications come with the job," Batman reminded the Martian who retreated his glare. "Your ability to handle them has impressed the League," he continued to The Team.

"The 'whole' League?" Superboy asked. Everyone knew to whom he was hoping to impress.

"Given time, yes," Batman said in regret.

Miko sighed, "Kryptonion's are very hard headed…Well, you know this," she said teasing as she finished healing the clone.

Superboy gave a small smile.

"Of course, there is no shame in asking for help," Batman reminded The Team, "That's why the League exists. Since even we have problems that we can't solve as individuals."

"Oh please," Robin complained, "Even if we need help, we'd never get the chance to ask."

The adults looked at each other confused.

Robin rolled his eyes and tossed the arrow that was shot at the android to his mentor, "Look familiar? You were following us. Babysitting! You still don't trust us!" he accused both archers in the room.

Both Green Arrow and Miko pulled out an arrow from their quivers and lined them with the stray arrow that Batman held.

None of them matched.

"We didn't follow you," Batman told his ward.

Robin thought of the only remaining arrow user that he knew and smiled.

"Speedy," said Kid Flash thrilled.

"He has our backs," Aqualad replied also delighted.

The adults gave each other knowing glances.

"_We have to tell them," _Miko said to her husband's mind.

"_They will meet her soon,"_ he replied.

Kid Flash grabbed the arrow from Batman, "Souvenir."

Sighing Superboy walked up to Black Canary, "I'm ready."

"Good," she replied, "Cause I'm here."

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_A Few Minutes Later_

"I'm sorry," Superboy said to Karin in the kitchen.

She paused in her search for a late snack, and turned to him, "For what?"

"If I hadn't run off, you wouldn't have gotten hurt," he said in remorse.

Karin grabbed a bowl of grapes from the fridge and leaned onto the island in the middle of the kitchen, "Its fine," she assured, "Believe it or not it's not the first time I've been beaten up in a fight. And it won't be the last either. So, don't worry about it," she said smiling at him.

Superboy couldn't help but smirk. Despite the beating she took, Karin just shrugged it off as if it were an everyday occurrence. 'She's tough.'

"Kar-chan," Miko said as she walked into the kitchen, "Your Outo-san and I are about to head home."

Karin nodded and left to say good bye to her Outo-san.

This left Miko alone with Superboy. Kagome pulled off her hood and loosened her mask so the boy could see her face. Now that he could, Superboy could definitely see the resemblance between Miko and Karin.

"I know I'm not Superman, or your mother for that matter," Kagome said sadly, "But if you ever need to talk or need anything at all, my family and I are here for you."

It took a few moments for Superboy to respond since he was stunned by her offer, "…Thanks."

Kagome smiled, "And just so you know, I think Superman Nii-san is being an ass, for behaving this way towards you."

Superboy snickered.

**It's so hard to write 'robot monkeys' multiple times and not laugh. (Go ahead and try it, see what happens) Anyway, what do you guys think? Good? Bad? I don't write actions scenes very often so I hope it was believable enough. Next time: Day at the beach and a new teammate. **

**Till Then My Readers **


	7. The Teams New Archer

To Be a Hero

**To My Reviewers: **

**sverhei: *giggle* Told ya so. **

**Anime hotty lover.18: I'm glad you liked it. **

**BatmanFanatic123: Yes, I did notice that and thank you so much. **

**Guest: That is a very good question. Hopefully it will be answered soon. **

**Kitsune's Den: Thanks, I really liked writing that part too. **

**secretsrsafehir: You're about to find out, right about *looks at watch* now. **

**Applejax XD: You'll see. **

**I would like to thank all of you plus: Anonymous Perspective, lil red ivy devil, and Queenlyn K for your awesome support. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let's get on with the show!**

Disclaimer: (*insert random music* I thought I should do this in song to make it more memorable. *clears throat*)

_I~I~I do not own Inuyasha. _

_It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi _

_I do not own Young Justice _

_They belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. _

_The only character I own is Karin, who sometimes goes by Moriko. _

_So, please don't sue me~e~e. _

(Hope I stayed in key *wink*)

Chapter 7: The Team's New Archer

_Mount Justice August 8, 09:58 EDT_

"Hello Megan," the Martian said as she, Robin, Kaldur, Karin, Superboy, exited The Cave, wearing their swim wear, and made their way outside to the shore. "We should hit the beach every day."

Robin bowed his head dramatically, "But first, a moment of silence for our absent comrade."

"Poor Wally," M`gann said sadly. Their beloved speedster was in the middle of what every child dreads this time of year; the first day of school.

"I'm surprised you're school hasn't started yet," Karin said to Robin as she placed a beach towel in the sand.

Robin rubbed the back of his head, "Well my school got…vandalized a few weeks back and they're trying to fix the damage." Of course he and Wally were the only ones who knew that it was really their fight with A.M.A.Z.O that caused the damages to Gotham Academy. "What about you?

"I don't start till late September," answered Karin as she stretched on out her body on the towel and enjoyed the sun on her skin. Kirara laid on her side and curled up next to her charge's foot.

"Ah," said Robin, "Well, let's not dwell on it. Let's have some fun in the sun."

Superboy stayed put as M`gann, Robin and Kaldur ran into the water.

Karin looked up from her spot on her towel, "Aren't you going to go?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know what to do on the beach," he admitted.

Karin didn't know why this surprised her. Sometimes she forgot that there were certain things that were still very new to Superboy.

"Well, let's start slow," Karin said as she got up off her towel. "First step: A walk on the beach."

Superboy raised a brow, "How's that any different from walking every day?"

Karin rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, "Just come on. You'll see what I mean." She dragged Superboy the shore line with a small Kirara following right behind them. They arrived a few moments before the tide came back to the shore.

The water hit Superboy's bare feet and gasped at the contact. "It's cold," he complained.

Karin laughed, "What did you expect?"

"I don't know," he said baffled, "Not cold though." Superboy continued to allow the foreign sensations of the cold sea water and the warm wet sand to touch his skin and senses. It was definitely an experience he was glad The Team suggested.

The tide came back on shore once more. Kirara dodged the waves and hissed at the ocean water.

Karin shook her head at the neko, "Oh come on, you scaredy cat," she said lowering herself so Kirara could jump on her shoulder.

"I'm guessing she doesn't like the water," Superboy asked.

"Only when she can avoid it," she explained.

"Hey guys," Robin called to the two, "Come on in."

"Yeah, it's fun," M`gann said enthusiastically. This wasn't her first time on the beach. Her aunt, uncle, and cousins went out for a day on the beach with her back in Tokyo. It was Kou`ki's first time on the beach too, which made it even more special.

Karin looked over at Superboy, "You ready?"

Superboy looked at his group of friends and was actually starting to get excited, "Yeah."

Karin grabbed his hand again, and led him to their friends.

She didn't notice that as she did so, Superboy's heart began to beat a little faster.

The rest of the day was fun beach activates that were always a must when a person visits: water fights in the ocean, playing beach volleyball, collecting seashells, grilling hot dogs, and of course building sand castles.

During this particular activity, the girls thought it would be hysterical to bury Superboy in the sand as they built a sand castle around him. The Boy of Steel didn't object since he didn't think it was that big a deal. However, he quickly learned that because he was being buried that he couldn't move...for a long time.

"Can I get out now?" Superboy complained.

"Nope," Karin said as she poured another bucket of sand on top of their every growing sand mountain. M`gann was continuing to work on the sand castle with Kaldur's help.

Robin snickered at the Boy of Steel as he took a picture with his phone, "I told you it was a trick."

Superboy glared at the Boy Wonder, "You better erase that," he warned struggling to get out of the sand.

"Nope," Robin said saving the image, "Don't worry. You'll laugh about this someday."

"I already am," Karin admitted with a new full bucket of sand.

Superboy looked at the smile on her face from having fun and couldn't bring himself to do anything that could remove it. So he, stayed buried in the sand.

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_A Few Hours Later_

The Team retreated inside after a day in the sun, showering off the sea water and sand, and were retreated the sitting area. They were watching some cheap horror movie when the computer announced arrivals. _"Recognize: Batman 02. Red Tornado 16. Miko 08. Green Arrow 09. Artemis B08." _

Everyone's attention was garbed, since none of them recognized the last person arriving. Moving quickly, The Team put on their hero uniforms, and ran to the mission room to meet the League members and the unknown arrival in the briefing area.

"Team," said Batman once they all arrived, "Today you have a new team member."

A young teenage girl, wearing a green outfit with bows and arrows on her back came into sight, "I'm Artemis," the teen introduced herself.

"Oh, thank Kami," said Moriko relieved, "Another girl." Her male team mates all gave insulted looks, "What? The testosterone level is high on this team, we need balance," she motioned her hands to imitate scales towards the end of her sentence.

Miss Martian chuckled, "I agree."

Artemis snickered.

Moriko bowed in greeting, "I'm Moriko but my real name is Karin," she introduced herself, and during her actions she managed to smell Artemis's scent. She recognized it from somewhere. 'But from where?' It wasn't until she looked back up and saw the quiver full of arrows that the memory clicked. "It was your arrow wasn't it?" she questioned, "The one that saved Kid Flash from A.M.A.Z.O"

The new archer looked at the adults who nodded before answering, "Yes it was."

"I'm sure Kid Flash will be appreciative knowing that you saved him," guaranteed Miss Martian.

"_Recognized: Kid Flash, B03,"_ said the computer for the Zeta tube.

Wally appeared in the zeta tube carrying a beach ball, an umbrella, a boom box and a cooler, ready to have a fun afternoon at the beach. "The Wall-man is here!" the speedster yelled as he stepped into the cave. "Now, let's get this party," he began to say before he tripped over the beach umbrella in his hand and ended up flat on his face, spilling everything he carried, "Started."

It took everything The Team and their new companion had not to laugh at the speedster.

"Wall-man?" Artemis said amused, "Love the uniform. Now, what exactly are your powers?"

Wally looked at the new girl confused as he stood up from the ground, "Who's this?"

"Artemis, your new teammate," she announced herself with pride.

"Kid Flash," Wally introduced himself, "Never heard of you."

Moriko elbowed the speedster for his disrespect. Actually, she was a little surprised that Wally hadn't immediately began flirting with the girl.

"She's my new protégé," Green Arrow explained to the speedster.

Wally looked at the male archer horrified, "What happened to your old one?"

Before anyone could answer, the computer announced a new arrival, _"Recognized: Speedy, B07." _

"He doesn't go by 'Speedy' anymore," said the deeply missed protégé, "Call me, Red Arrow."

"Boy, that's imaginative," Moriko remarked, which received a scolding look from her mother.

Green Arrow looked at his protégé's new appearance. The red and yellow he once wore changed to red and black. He looked grown up. "Roy, you look."

"Replaceable," Red Arrow finished for him.

"It's not like that," Green Arrow explained, "You said you were going solo."

"Then why find a sub?" he asked, "Can she even use that bow?"

Artemis was irritated by the fact that Red Arrow was talking about her as if she weren't there. So she got right Red Arrow's face, "Yes, 'she' can," she clarified.

"Who are you?" Wally asked the female archer again, wanting to know where she came from.

"She's my niece," Green Arrow answered at the same time Artemis said, "I'm his niece."

Moriko raised a brow in confusion. Neither of the archers smelled alike, so they're not related by blood, 'Well I guess that's not too unusual,' she thought to herself.

Miko saw her daughter's expressions and knew what she was thinking. 'She always notices the little things.'

Robin wasn't so quiet of his suspicions towards the female archer, "Another niece?"

Aqualad looked at his archer friend, "And she is not your replacement. We have always wanted you on the team. And we have no quota on archers."

"Exhibit A," Moriko gestured to Green Arrow and her mother, who were both the archer users of the League.

"Besides," said Wally, "Even if we did, you know we'd pick you."

Artemis snorted, "Whatever, Baywatch. I'm here to say."

Moriko snickered at the nick name, "Oh, I like her."

"Me too," Miss Martian said excited.

Aqualad ignored the girl's enthusiasm of having another female team mate and brought up a more pressing matter, "You came to us for a reason?" he asked his archer friend.

Red Arrow nodded, "I did. And the reasons name is Dr. Serling Roquette."

Robin immediacy recognized the name and brought up the holographic computer on his glove, "The nanorobotics genius and claytronics expert at Royal University in Star City," he informed The Team. He was also a huge fan of her work and frowned at the rest of the information listed, "She vanished two weeks ago."

"Not vanished," Red Arrow corrected, "Abducted two weeks ago by the League of Shadows."

The Team's eyes widened at the name.

The League of Shadows was a secret society of highly trained assassins that have been around for hundreds of years. Their longtime leader, Ra's al Ghul, created the League in order to to restore balance to the world.

Still the information got Robin excited, "Whoa! You want us to rescue her from the Shadows?"

"Hardcore," said Wally who was also thrilled.

"I already rescued her," Red Arrow informed his friends.

"Then why come to us?" asked Moriko inquiringly, "Certainly, it wasn't just to brag about it."

Red Arrow half laughed, "Hardly. The Shadows had already coerced Dr. Roquette into creating a weapon." He brought up images of a tiny nanorobot, "The Doc calls it 'The Fog.' It's comprised of millions of microscopic robots. These nanotech infiltrators are capable of disintegrating anything in their path; concrete, steel, flesh and bone."

Everyone shivered at the mere thought of being eaten by these nanorobots.

"However," the archer continued, "Their true purpose is theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer system and deliver the stolen Intel to the Shadows. Providing them access to weapons, strategic defense, cutting-edge science and technology."

"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, and power broking," Artemis listed, but her tone sounded unsurprised, "Yeah, that sounds like the Shadows."

Wally snorted, "Like you know anything about the Shadows." Artemis only gave a knowing smile, which frustrated the speedster more, "Who are you!"

"Roquette's working on a virus to render The Fog inert," Red Arrow continued.

Robin started to get why Red Arrow brought this to their attention, "If the Shadows know she can do that."

Red Arrow nodded, "They'll target her. Right now, she's off the grid. I stashed her at the local high school's computer lab."

"You left her alone?" asked Green Arrow concerned.

"She's safe," Red Arrow said assuring, "For now."

"Then why don't you and I keep her that way," suggested Green Arrow.

Red Arrow gave a skeptical look, "You don't wanna take your new protégé?" he said bitterly.

Batman grabbed Green Arrows shoulder, stopping the archer from saying anything else on Red Arrow's attitude.

Green Arrow sighed before speaking again, "You brought this to The Team. It's their mission, which makes it hers now too."

Red Arrow shrugged, "Then my job is done," he said walking to the zeta tube.

"_Recognized: Speedy,"_ the computer spoke as it scanned the archer.

"It's Red Arrow," he corrected, "B07. Update," he ordered before leaving The Cave.

"I can see why you're friends with him," Moriko told Wally, Robin and Aqualad sarcastically, "He's just a big ray of sunshine."

Wally gave an insulted look, "Watch it, Pretty Eyes. You haven't worked with him yet, so don't act like you know anything about him."

"Why not?" Moriko challenged, "You're doing it to Artemis, right now."

"Enough," Batman scolded, making the two teenagers go silent, "You have your mission."

The Team nodded and they left for the hanger bay to get on the Bio-Ship.

"Pretty Eyes?" Artemis asked Moriko as they walked down the hallway.

"Just a name he's used when we first met. Wally-kun tends to flirt with every female he sees," Moriko explained.

Artemis looked confused, "Well he hasn't with me. It's pretty obvious he hates me for taking Mr. Personality's place on The Team."

"Maybe it's because you're special," Moriko harassed the archer, "You know what they say, 'if a boy can't stand you, it means he likes you.'"

"But that's stupid," argued Artemis.

"I know," Moriko couldn't help but agree on the statement. "I never got that either. Whenever a boy was mean to me at school that never crossed my mind. So, I'd punch the boy in the face."

Artemis laughed, "Moriko, you and I are going to be fast friends."

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_Happy Harbor August 8, 25:53 EDT_

At the local high school, M`gann, Moriko, Superboy and Kirara were on lookout outside, while Kid Flash, Aqualad, Artemis, and Robin stood guard for Dr. Roquette.

"_Miss Martian,"_ Aqualad said to her mind, _"Link us up. We do not want the Shadows intercepting our com-links." _

She nodded before linking everyone's minds together, _"Everyone online?"_

Artemis was startled by the strange sensation of other people talking in her head, _"Whoa, this is weird."_

Dr. Roquette sighed. _"And distracting. Coding a distributed algorithm virus on a kiddie computer with less RAM that a wrist watch is hard enough. Now I have to hear teen think in my skull?"_ she complained.

Kid Flash munched on a protein bar as he took his look out spot near the window, _"Lady, do you always complain when someone is helping you?" _

"_Pot, kettle. Have you met?"_ Artemis asked sarcastically.

Moriko snickered from outside the building, _"She's got you there, Kid."_

"_Hey,"_ the speedster argued, _"I do not need attitude from the newbie who drove Red Arrow off The Team." _

"_That is so not on me,"_ Artemis retorted.

Dr. Roquette rubbed the bridge of her nose, _"Fate of the world at stake,"_ she reminded.

"_She started it,"_ said Kid Flash gesturing to Artemis.

Artemis sighed and began to walk out the room, _"Why don't I help the others patrol the perimeter outside." _

"_Good idea,"_ Aqualad agreed.

"_Hey,"_ Robin urged to Kid Flash, _"Cut her some slack. It was her arrow that saved your ass against A.M.A.Z.O."_

Kid Flash looked surprised, _"What? No, that was Speedy's. I mean, Red Arrow's arrow…right?" _he said in denial.

"_Nope,"_ Moriko, _"Trust me, it was hers."_

Kid Flash thought that over, even though he was grateful for her saving him, he still didn't like the new archer. _"I'm not gonna give her the satisfaction."_

"_You know I can still hear you,"_ Artemis reminded the speedster, causing him to grab his head and groan in frustration.

Dr. Roquette dropped her head in her hands, _"I couldn't get the Justice League to guard me."_

Aqualad walked up to the Dr. Roquette, "_The virus won't be of much use if we cannot find the weapon," _he reminded her. _"Can you track it?" _

"_The Fog isn't a weapon,"_ she argued looking up at him, _"Its science. Brilliant science. And yes I can track it…but I'd have to go online. I might as well rent a billboard with this address and 'kill me' written in neon." _Towards the end of her rant, her voice betrayed the hint of fear that the doctor was feeling.

Aqualad put a supporting hand on her shoulder, _"We will protect you,"_ he vowed.

Dr. Roquette's face softened at his declaration and took a deep breath as she began to track The Fog.

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_Outside_

Superboy was patrolling the back of the building. A rustling in the trees made him pause mid step of his round. He scanned the area with his advanced vision and didn't find a trace of anything out of the ordinary. Still not convinced, The Boy off Steel jumped to the roof where Moriko and Kirara were assigned. _"Moriko, are you getting anything?" _

She shook her head, _"I don't hear or smell anything unusual."_ Moriko looked at Kirara in question, _"Do you?"_ The neko shook her head in response.

Superboy nodded, guessing he was just being paranoid, before he jumped down to Miss Martian and Artemis's location at the front of the school.

"_Mm! That boy,"_ Artemis said looking at Superboy's back side as he walked away. The Boy of Steel turned his head back at Artemis, once he heard her thoughts

Miss Martian looked appalled at the archer, _"You know we can hear you. We can all hear you," _she informed her.

"_Oh, I know,"_ Artemis responded.

Moriko couldn't help but snicker at Artemis's comment. "It's not her fault Superboy's nice to look at," she whispered to Kirara. The neko tilted her head in response.

"_Dr. Roquette has located The Fog,"_ Aqualad informed the patrol outside, _"Miss Martian, reconfigure the Bio Ship so that Robin and Superboy can pursue,"_ he ordered.

Miss Martian de-camouflaged the Bio-Ship and brought it to the ground, _"Ready." _

Superboy and Robin left to the ship.

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In the bushes nearby the entrance of the high school, a member of the Shadows smirked behind her mask.

The Shadow member, Cheshire, was fortunate that the League had knowledge of demons and learned how to hide from their presence. Otherwise those two demon blooded beings would have definitely found her.

'So, that's the girl The Great One was informed of,' Cheshire thought as she looked at Moriko. 'I wonder what makes her so special.'

She didn't dwell on her curiosity for long. Cheshire had orders to fulfill. Staying hidden from any young heroes view, the assassin moved to take down her target.

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_A Few Minutes Later _

"_You embarrassed Superboy,"_ Miss Martian scolded her new team mate.

Artemis snorted, "_Didn't hear him say that." _

"_Must you challenge everyone?"_ argued Miss Martian.

"_Where I come from, that's how you survive,"_ the archer explained.

"_I get that," _Moriko interrupted, walking around the back of the building with Kirara, where Superboy had been posted. "_But it's not like that here_. O_n this team, we trust one another." _

"_Tell that to Kid Flash,"_ Artemis retorted.

"_Miss Martian, Kid, Artemis, Moriko, we are under attack in the computer lab,"_ alerted Aqualad.

"_What?"_ Moriko said confused, not knowing how anything got passed not only her ears and nose but Kirara's as well.

"_We're on our way," _Artemis confirmed.

All the girls headed inside. Eventually they all met up together, and were running down the same hall way.

Suddenly, Miss Martian paused mid-flight and her eyes widened in fear.

Moriko stopped running once she noticed her cousin's mood change, "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Miss Martian flew as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

"Wait, M`gann," Moriko called as she and Kirara followed the Martian.

The strong scent of chlorine and pool water hit Moriko's nose, and she could see why Miss Martian came to this place.

"Kid!" Moriko yelled, as the body of the speedster floated head down in the water.

Miss Martian levitated the speedster's body from the water and brought him to the pool side where her cousin stood.

Moriko pressed her ear on the speedster's chest, his heart was beating but she could hear water in his lungs. "M`gann," she called to her cousin, who came down next to her, "When I tell you to, breath into his mouth."

Miss Martian nodded and opened her friend's mouth.

Putting both hands together on Kid Flash' chest, Moriko did five chest compressions, "Breath."

The Martian breathed into the speedster's mouth.

Nothing happened.

Moriko did five more compressions, "Come on, Wally-kun," she urged, "Breath," she ordered.

Miss Martian breathed again.

This time Kid Flash responded and began to cough up pool water. He turned his head to the side and coughed all the water out of his lungs before collapsing his head back down. Kid Flash opened his eyes and saw Miss Martian and Moriko looking down on him concerned, "Is this heaven?" he asked curiously.

The girls chuckled in relief, "I think he'll make a full recovery," said Miss Martian.

"I agree," remared Moriko before remembering the mission, "The others are in trouble."

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The trio arrived just in time.

Artemis was shooting arrows at the intruder; a female assassin named Cheshire.

Once Cheshire saw that she was outnumbered she knew she had to retreat, "This is getting a little too interesting."

Kid Flash started to lunge at Cheshire. The female assassin used her smoke pellet to make her escape. The speedster missed his target and ended up colliding into Artemis. He backed away from the archer in disgust.

"She's getting away," Dr. Roquette complained, "You're letting her get away."

"This is all your fault," yelled Kid Flash at Artemis, "You were on perimeter! How did that Shadow get in?"

The archer glared at him.

"That's not fair," said Miss Martian, "I was outside too and so were Moriko and Kirara."

Kid Flash tried to think of an argument, "Outside…being distracted by her." He then smiled at his crush, "Besides I can't be made at you and Pretty Eyes," he flirted before thinking, "_Especially since you gave me mouth-to-mouth, Beautiful._"

"_We heard that,"_ everyone said in union in their minds.

Kid Flash smacked his forehead. "Damn it."

"How did she get passed yours and Kirara's senses?" Aqualad asked Moriko.

She shrugged, "I have no idea. Even now, I can't pick up the assassins scent in the room. Maybe the Shadows know how to hide from...my kind." Moriko didn't want to accidently inform Dr. Roquette in the existence of demons.

Aqualad nodded understanding, "Agreed."

"_Robin to Aqualad," _Robin said through the com-link, _"We've located the Shadow's next target: S.T.A.R Labs…We're too late. The Fog decimated the Lab, now all of their cutting-edge science is in the hands of the enemy. What's our next move?"_

Aqualad thought it over for a few moments, "We rescan that Fog and find it. And we're moving the doctor."

"What's the plan?" asked Moriko.

Aqualad smirked.

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The plan was simple.

Miss Martian will disguise herself as Dr. Roquette in one location. While the real Dr. Roquette will be hidden close by at an Internet Café, being guarded by Moriko and Kirara.

After a few hours, Aqualad entered the facility.

"The plan worked," he informed.

"I almost got it," said Dr. Roquette, as she tried to finish making the virus for The Fog.

"What's the next target?" asked Moriko.

It took a moment for Dr. Roquette to answer, "Wayne-Tech."

Moriko's eyes widened. 'Oh no, they can find out about Batman's secret identity if the Shadow's succeed,' she thought to herself. Her mother had told her who Batman really was when Wayne-Tech and Tashio Corp, a business empire that Sesshōmaru created ages ago, became business partners. 'And if the Shadows get a hold of Tashio Corp threw Wayne-Tech, Ojii-sama will go on a literal killing spree,' she thought in fear.

Suddenly, noises from the roof alerted the heroes.

"We have company," Aqualad informed Dr. Roquette.

"Uploading now," she said relieved. "And by the way, you said you'd protect me."

"Not with that attitude," Moriko said annoyed, but still kept her guard up.

Suddenly a noise from the door way brought their attention. A silver ball rolled into the room, which began to release a smoke screen.

Moriko, Aqualad and Kirara forced Dr. Roquette behind them.

Cheshire smirked from her place in the ceiling, and threw multiple poison darts at the nanotech expert.

Hearing the throw of the darts, Aqualad reacted by throwing himself in front of the weapon that would have hit Dr. Roquette.

Cheshire chuckled as she landed into the room, "Let' test that jellyfish immunity you were bragging about, shall we?"

Aqualad shook his head trying to regain focus, "Guard the doctor."

"But," Moriko began to argue.

"Do it," he ordered attacking Cheshire.

The assassin took down the Atlantean with only a few moves.

Moriko growled as she charged at Cheshire with her claws. Kirara forced Dr. Roquette against the wall and out of harm's way.

The assassin dodged Moriko's strikes and chuckled, "Impressive. But I still don't see what the big deal is about you."

Moriko kept striking but heard every word, "What are you talking about?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Cheshire taunted.

Suddenly, a beeping a beep from the computer stopped the fight.

The virus had been successfully downloaded.

"So, she succeeded," said Cheshire sheathing her sai. "Eliminating the reason for Dr. Roquette's elimination. But not the entertainment value…and I don't see why I shouldn't do the job for regarding 'you' myself," she said glaring at Moriko. "Lucky for you my orders are clear," she turned to the doctor, "And you, live to program another day. The Shadow's may have more use for you."

"Over my dead body," Moriko said charging at Cheshire once more.

The assassin threw a smoke pellet to the ground, vanishing from the Café.

"Damn it," Moriko growled before going over to her injured teammate. "Kaldur," she shook him gently. She turned to her companion, "Kirara help me," she said while lifting the Atlantean up.

Kirara walked next to the teenagers and lowered herself so that Kaldur could lay on her back, being mindful of the darts in his chest.

"I-ill be fine," Aqualad managed to say.

"Let's not take chances," Moriko urged as she guided the neko and doctor outside.

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Once outside, they saw Artemis standing there with Cheshire's mask sitting on the side walk.

"Where's the assassin?" Aqualad questioned sitting up on Kirara.

"She got away," said the archer, right when Kid Flash arrived with his super-speed.

"Oh from you?" the speedster mocked. "Big surprise. Notice, we got our guys." He gestured to the two other assassins that attacked them, who were tied up and being held by Miss Martian's telekinesis.

Moriko growled at Kid Flash, "Knock it off."

Kid Flash shrugged off her sneer and noticed the mask on the ground, "Cool a souvenir."

Aqualad began to pull off the darts on his chest, "Did-did you see her face?" he asked Artemis, wincing as he pulled out each dart.

She shook her head and looked away, "It was too dark."

Aqualad nodded, "It is fine. Superboy and Robin neutralized The Fog and Dr. Roquette is safe. Thanks in no small part to you."

Artemis looked back up and gave a small smile at the compliment.

"Welcome to The Team," said Aqualad offering his hand.

Artemis smiled and shook her hand in his.

M`gann smiled, "Great, I have another sister."

Moriko chuckled but was flattered that she referred to her as a sister, "Didn't you say you have twelve sisters back on Mars."

The Martian pouted, "It's not the same, and I'm on Earth now."

"I wouldn't know anything about sisters," said Artemis. "But thanks."

Moriko smelled the lie coming from her. 'She does know…but why lie?' she wondered. She shook her head of the thought and promised not to pry, 'She'll talk about it when she wants to talk about it.'

Miss Martian elbowed Kid Flash to make him say something, "Ow!...Yeah, welcome."

Artemis held out her hand in friendship which Kid Flash reluctantly took.

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_A Few Hours Later: Mount Justice_

"Well, I'm off," said Artemis getting ready to go through the zeta tube.

"Wait," Karin called, making the archer pause. "I wanted to ask all of you something before you went home," she said getting everyone's attention in the briefing room.

"What's up?" asked Robin.

"I wanted to know if you'd want to go with me on Saturday to Odaiba." Everyone raised a brow, "It's a popular tourist area in Tokyo Bay, they have a firework show that night."

"Sweet," said Wally while munching on a few of M`gann's fresh made cookies. "What's the occasion?"

"They do the fireworks every year," Karin explained, "But I'm going with two friends for my birthday."

Everyone was froze in movement, shocked by the news. They all slowly turned towards Karin surprise all wondering why she didn't tell them until now.

"It's your birthday?" Robin asked astonished, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't know if there was going be a mission at the time," Karin explained, "But since there isn't one, I'd thought I'd ask if any of you wanted to come."

"Are you serious? A party in Tokyo," said Artemis excited, "I'm in."

"Me too," said M`gann excited to go to her first Earth birthday party.

"Thank you for including us on a special occasion," said Kaldur, "I'll be happy to attend."

Superboy only nodded.

"Alright," Wally cheered, "Look out Tokyo, Wall-man's coming."

The girls rolled their eyes but chuckled.

"This is going to be interesting," said Robin.

**So Artemis is now introduced, and a mysterious plot has been planted. What could it mean? You must read to find out. So tell me what you think. Next Time: Friends to meet, fun to be had and tears to be shed…wait what?**

**Till Then My Readers**


	8. Friends and Family

To Be a Hero

**Was anyone one else hoping they were announcing a season 3 of Young Justice at Comic Con instead of a crossover with Teen Titans Go!? I know I was. Alas, my dream was shattered. *sniffle* **

**Anyway, a super special awesome thanks to Mistress Freya, sverhei, Diane (Guest), Kitsune's Den,****BatmanFanatic123, Elciram, kitsune-miko-witch, Applejax XD, Helena Bellamuerte, WhiteRose-Kurama, roserain1998,** **and for reviewing, favoriteing and/or following this fic. It's all of you that keeps this going. **

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Young Justice. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and the Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. The only characters I own is Karin, Kou`ki, Hitomi, and Riku. I also do not own Odaiba, which is a real place (Just so you know). Please don't sue me.

Chapter 8: Friends and Family

_Higurashi Shrine_

"Whoa," said Robin in amazement as he looked at the Higurashi Shrine. The Team exited the storage sheds on the shrine grounds that held a zeta tube, "You live here?"

Karin nodded as Robin and the others looked around the grounds. She took a deep breath, embracing the familiar scents of home, not realizing how much time had time had passed since she's been gone. Kirara, who was on her charges shoulder, hopped off and wandered around the familiar Higurashi grounds.

Robin and Wally aimed right for the souvenir display that the shrine sold for tourist. "Oh, I'm so getting a souvenir," the speedster told the Boy Wonder, looking for the perfect thing to bring home.

Kaldur and Artemis, were fascinated by the shrine itself and was looking at where people made wishes and prayed. "I've always wanted to do this," Artemis admitted as put her hands together to say a prayer.

Superboy and M`gann were more intrigued by the Goshinboku, the Sacred Tree.

"Aunt Kagome told me that this tree is over thousands of years old," M`gann she informed Superboy.

"That's impressive," he said somewhat captivated. Being under the tree, Superboy's mind, that often filled with conflicting thoughts towards Superman and his team mates, seemed to settle into a calming state.

"It has mystical properties, right?" M`gann asked Karin, once she and the others surrounded it.

Karin nodded, "Yeah, can't you feel it?" she asked them. "Your minds and your hearts feeling more pure…My Kaa-san said the tree is also called the Tree of Ages because it keeps the memories of all the years that have past. A few of its branches were taken off in order to construct 'The Bone Eaters Well,'" she pointed to the shed that held the gate way to the Feudal Era.

"Why'd they call it that?" asked Artemis asked shivering, "It sounds eerie."

"In feudal times, when people killed a ravenous yōkai they would drop the remains in the well, and the remains would vanish moments later. Making the humans think that the well was 'eating' them," Karin explained, "They had no idea that they were actually sending the yōkai remains threw a portal to the future."

"Has anything ever," Robin tried to find the right words, "You know…come out from the other side?"

"Not since I've been alive," Karin answered.

Kaldur noticed how vague her answer was, "And before you were alive?"

Karin walked up to the tree and placed her hand on the spot where her biological father was sealed, "Hai, something came through before I was born...That's how my Kaa-san found herself in the Feudal Era. A yōkai centipede came out of the well and dragged her to the other side, where she learned that the Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of Four Souls, was in her body. The centipede yōkai actually took a bite out of her side and pulled the jewel out."

M`gann gasped, "That sounds painful."

"Hai," Karin said turning to face them, "But she said her journey wasn't all bad. And that if it hadn't had happened, then she never would have met my birth Outo-san, my Oji-san, and my Onii-san."

"I'd also never have joined the League or married J`onn," said Kagome as she came out of the main house, making The Team turn towards her. "I'm grateful that the well opened, since it made me the hero I am today," she said before giving her daughter a hug. "Happy Birthday my Kar-chan. We've missed you being home."

Karin nodded, "Arigato Kaa-san. I miss it here too."

This was the first time most of The Team had seen Kagome's face.

"That's Miko?" Wally whispered to Robin and Kaldur, who both nodded.

"It appears so," said Kaldur.

"Dude, she's hot," the speedster said dotingly.

Karin growled and turned to the speedster, "That' my Kaa-san, you hentai!"

The others laughed as Wally hid behind Superboy from Karin's outburst. That's when the speedster noticed the small green child peeking out from behind Kagome. "Who's the little guy?" he pointed behind the miko.

Kagome stepped a little to the right, smiling down at the boy, "Kou-chan, don't you want to say 'hi' to your Onee-san and her friends?" she asked rubbing her son's head. Kou`ki slowly came out of his hiding spot and slowly walked up to his sister.

Karin kneeled and picked up her little brother in her arms, "Oh, Kou-chan I missed you so much," she held the boy tightly and sweetly.

"Hey, Kou`ki," M`gann said kissing the boys cheek, making him blush but he still leapt to his cousin's loving arms. He loved M`gann as if she was another older sibling.

"Aww," Artemis fawned over the boy, "He's so cute."

"I assume he is your younger brother," said Kaldur.

Wally got out of his hiding spot, "Well, you can definitely tell he's Manhunters kid."

"**Kar-chan!"** a voice yelled suddenly, before a teenage girl jumped on Karin and held her in a vice grip hug with her arms and legs. **"Where have you been? We missed you like crazy?" **she asked in Japanese.

The team raised a brow at the small Asian girl who held Karin 'captive.'

"**Ribs,"** Karin managed to say, **"Hitomi-chan, you're cr-crushing my ribs." **

Hitomi reluctantly let go, **"Well it's your own fault for being gone for so long."**

Kagome cleared her throat and pointed to The Team.

Hitomi had completely over looked them, since she was too excited to see her best friend, "Oh," she said in English and faced them, "Sorry, didn't see you there. I'm Hitomi Medea, Karin's niece," she said bowing in greeting, "You're her teammates, right?"

Robin's eyes widened behind his glasses, "You told her?" he yelled.

Hitomi waved her hand as if it was not that big a deal, "Oh don't get all paranoid. I knew about Karin being Moriko way before your group was formed. And I also have every right to know who's watching over my favorite aunt."

Karin rolled her eyes, "I'm your only aunt, Hitomi-chan"

"That's why you're the favorite," Hitomi joked, squeezing Karin in a side hug.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps came from the shrine steps. A man with red hair and green eyes appeared with a black haired teenage boy.

"Sorry," said the teenager, "She got away from me. She ran all the way from the train station to here."

Hitomi stuck out her tongue at Riku, "We were going to slow, flea bag."

The man rolled his eyes, "Hitomi-chan, please be nice to Riku," he urged, "The last thing I need is to get in a fight with Riku's father on my sister's birthday."

Hitomi pouted and mumbled an apology. Kou`ki chuckled as the kitsune hanyou began to make funny faces at the wolf yōkai, when her father's back was turned.

Riku glared at Hitomi, "You better watch it, you damn fox," he muttered a warning.

Shippo heard the threat and slapped his forehead in defeat.

"Aaaand welcome to my world," Karin told her team mates, who were either snickering or staring at the new arrivals.

Both the wolf yōkai and kitsune hanyou were brought out of their debacle and looked away sheepishly once they remembered they had an audience.

"S-sorry," Riku apologized and blushed, "Umm, Happy Birthday, Karin."

Karin smiled, "Thank you Riku-kun," she said before turning to her team mates, "Team this is my older brother Shippo." The kitusne bowed in greeting. "And my friend Riku-kun. His parents are wolf yōkai and have been friends with my Kaa-san since her time in the Feudal Era."

"That explains the weird nickname," said Superboy, who had wondered why Hitomi called Riku a flea bag.

Karin nodded, "Everyone, these are my teammates and friends," she gestured to the young heroes, who said hello, hi or greeting action.

"You guys, don't look like demons," Artemis said gesturing their appearance. She had been informed of Karin and yōkai by Green Arrow and Batman before she joined The Team. "Or do demons just look like people?"

"Were wearing glamor," Hitomi explained to the archer, "It's a trick most yōkai use now a days."

Wally's eyes winded, the scientific part of his mind itching with curiosity, "Could we see your other forms?" he asked.

Riku looked skeptical, "We're not really supposed to show humans."

Hitomi was less sheepish, "Sure," she said before removing her fox magic glamor and showing her demonic features.

Shippo sighed at his daughter's eagerness and lowered his glamor as well. The kitsune had grown into his demonic features since his times in the Feudal Era. His tiny fox paws had grown into strong claws. His bushy tail had had grown longer and shiny, and his child like features from when he was a kit became more masculine and handsome. The only thing that stayed the same was his pointy ears and fangs.

Hitomi did a small twirl when her glamor was down. She inherited pointed ears like her father and had a red tail with a black tip at the end, which matched her own black hair. Her teeth also got sharper and her nails were a few centimeters longer.

"Damn fox," Riku muttered before dropping his own glamor. Riku looked like his father Kouga, with pointed ears, fangs and wolf tail. His hair was also a few inches longer than it already was a moment ago.

"Cool," said Robin captivated by the yokai's appearance, "I just kind of assumed that…well," he glanced over to Kirara who was sitting on the ground next to Kagome.

"That they'd turn into over grown fox or wolves like Kirara," Karin guessed what the Boy Wonder was thinking, he nodded yes. She chuckled, "Yōkai come in many forms."

Wally nodded with fake intrigue before using his super-speed to stand in front of Hitomi, "I knew you were a fox when I first set eyes on you," he flirted and grabbed her hand.

Karin rolled her eyes annoyed, 'First he flirts with my cousin and now my niece,' she complained in her mind. She was brought out of her thoughts when her niece chuckled.

"Back at you, good looking," Hitomi flirted back. "Kar-chan, you didn't tell me the guys on your team are total hotties," she said faking her overwhelm of the young hero males handsomeness.

Kaldur, Robin, Superboy, M`gann and Artemis looked at the hanyou horrified.

"Oh great, theirs two of them," Artemis complained on how Hitomi acted like the female version of their speedster.

"It's no wonder Karin handled Wally's advances towards her, so well," said Kaldur.

Shippo glared at the speedster, "Do you mind stepping away from my baby girl? I really don't like feeling getting blood in my claws today."

Wally immediately backed away.

Kagome snickered, "Oh Shippo-chan, you were just as bad when it came to girls when you were little."

Hitomi's eyes widened surprised, "Really?"

Shippo blushed, "N-no, I was a gentlemen."

"That's not what I heard," Karin accused teasing her older brother.

Shippo glared as his younger sister, before sighing. "Ok fine. But it wasn't my fault that young ladies did and still do find me irresistible," the kitusne said before noticing how his families their gazes were now looking directly behind him. One sniff and Shippo gulped nervously, "My wife's right behind me isn't she?" he asked, hoping he was wrong.

"Yes she is," Rin answered with her arms folded before glancing over to. "Hello, Kar-chan."

Karin waved back, feeling bad for her adopted older brother.

"I thought you were stuck at the office with Onii-sama today," Kagome said confused

"I managed to get out early," Rin replied giving her sister-in-law a hug, ignoring her husband completely. She gave a small wave to Kou`ki, who waved back shyly.

Shippo hesitantly tried to reach for his wife, "Koi, I was only teasing."

Rin shook her head in disbelief and began to walk into the main house. She paused to bow to The Team members, "My name is Rin Medea. That kitsune idiot over there is my husband." Shippo gave a hurt look. "I appreciate you looking over for my little sister," she bowed again before entering the house.

"Rin," Shippo called out to his wife, who didn't respond to him. Shippo looked to his mother, sister and daughter asking what to do in his gaze.

"Start groveling," answered Kagome simply.

Karin nodded, "Big time."

Shippo pouted as he walked into the house mumbling how he didn't do nothing.

The Team wasn't really sure what to make of the exchange.

"Are they gonna be ok?" Artemis asked Hitomi.

The hanyou nodded unworried, as she put her glamor back on, "Yeah. Mom just has to remind my dad to keep his 'foxyness' in check every now and then. It's such a blessing and a curse to be a good looking kitsune all the time," she joked at the last part making The Team chuckle.

Kagome glanced down at the watch on her wrist and noticed the time, "You all better get going, before it gets too crowded," she advised.

"You sure you and Kou`ki don't want to come," Karin asked.

Kagome smiled, "Your sweet Kar-can, but you deserve to have a day out with just your friends. Besides you'll be back for cake and presents."

Karin still felt unsure but slowly smiled, "Okay, we'll be back around eight," she said motioning everyone down the stairs. M`gann handed Kou`ki back to his mother and waved good bye.

"Bye, grams," Hitomi waved farewell to Kagome.

Riku put his glamor back on before waving goodbye to the miko, who his parents thought highly of.

As the young adults left the stairs, Kagome got a little teary eyed. "She's growing up so fast," she said out loud before turning to Kou`ki. "Promise you won't do that."

Kou`ki shook his head and kissed his mother's cheek, _"No, cause I love Kaa-san."_

Kagome giggled, "That's my baby boy. Now, let's go bake that cake for your Onee-san and help your Onii-san get out of the dog house," she joked walking back inside, with Kirara following her.

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_Tokyo Bay_

The Team, yōkai, and hanyou were all on a bullet train, heading to Odaiba.

"Now?" asked Hitomi in suspense.

"Not yet," said Karin, looking out the window.

Hitomi waited a few moments, "Now?"

"Wait for it," urged Karin.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked the girls.

Riku rolled his eyes, "They do this every time we come here, because of that stupid Thor movie."

"What's that got to do with anything?" asked Wally.

"The bridge to Odaiba is called 'The Rainbow Bridge'…you'll see what I mean in about," he looked out the window, "Three. Two. One."

"For Asgard!" the girls yelled as if going off to battle, as soon as the train was on the bridge. **(AN: I don't own Thor either, just FYI.)**

Robin, M`gann, Wally, and Artemis laughed.

"Why do I go places with you two again?" Riku asked mildly embarrassed.

"Cause you love us," said Karin battering her eyes in a flirting way before turning to look out the window. Riku blushed and turned way, trying to keep his emotions under control.

Kaldur, Wally, and M`gann saw the action and looked at each other.

"_You both saw that right?"_ M`gann asked them telepathically.

"_Oh yeah,"_ said Wally, _"It looks like wolf boy's got a thing for Pretty Eyes." _

"_Whether he does or not,"_ warned Kaldur. _"It's between the both of them."_

A few moments later, the group arrived at district, and exited the train.

"Dude," said Wally pointing to something catching his eye, "They've got a giant Gundam in front of that store."

"Sweet," said Robin, as they both took off to get pictures.

"And their off," said Karin amused.

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The group of teenagers all walked around the districts, looking at stores and snacking on random Japanese foods. All of them acting like the young adults that they can never be in their 'real' lives.

After a while, some of them went their separate ways.

Kaldur was on the railing of one of the shopping districts, looking at the ocean. In his mind, he was picturing his home…and someone there waiting for him.

"Hey," said Hitomi to get his attention and startled him, "Gomen nasi, I didn't mean to scare you, Kaldur-kun"

"It is fine," he assured her.

Hitomi stood next to him on the railing, getting a really got a look at Kaldur's eyes, "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you look a little…sad."

Kaldur gave a polite smile, "It is nothing really."

Hitomi gave a pouted look and nudged him with her side, "Come on tell me. Please, please, pleeeeease."

The Atlantean boy half smiled at the hanyou's cuteness, "I assure you it is nothing."

Finally giving up, Hitomi tried another approach, "Well then, how about you tell me about yourself?" He raised a brow, "You owe me," she pressed him.

Kaldur shrugged, "There is not much to tell."

Hitomi wasn't buying it, "There's got to be something," she thought over what he could tell her, "You live in Atlantis right? What's that like? I'll bet its beautiful being and living in the ocean."

Kaldur nodded, "Indeed, it is," he tried to find the right words but couldn't find any that would do justice, "It is home."

"Sounds about right," Hitomi chuckled before tilting her head after noticing how Kaldur looked deeper in thought now. "You miss being home don't you," she stated.

The Atlantean looked at her surprised that she guessed that so quickly, "Yes I do."

Hitomi straightened her head to look at Kaldur more intently, "And someone else who lives there?" Again, Kaldur was stunned that she had guessed what, actually whom, was plaguing his mind. He didn't really want to go into the issue too deeply, but luckily Hitomi could see this and didn't pry, "She's a lucky girl."

Kaldur gave a half smile, "You think so?" he asked.

She chuckled, "Are you kidding? You're the kind of guy girl's dream of in high school. You're good looking, you're kind, you're a good listener, you're polite," she listed on her fingers. "And you're literally out of this world," she teased winking at him.

Kaldur gave a full smile, appreciating Hitomi's seemingly gentle and playful nature, "You are very kind. I am sure someone will also be lucky to have you, as well."

Hitomi stopped smiling and looked down at the water, "You'd be one of few who'd think so."

The Atlantian looked confused, "What do you mean?"

The hanyou turned to sit down on the rail, "For people like me and Kar-chan…it's not easy finding someone to be with. We're not completely yōkai and were not completely human. And finding someone who will accept every part of us…its rare. I've had many older siblings who lived their lives alone because they gave up on finding someone."

"That sounds lonely," said Kaldur sympathetically.

Hitomi nodded but shrugged the thought off, "I don't want to give up though. I think there is someone out there for everyone. My grandmother taught me that...I think a part of her worries that for Kar-chan though."

Kaldur nodded understanding the reason, "Well, Riku seems attracted to her," he said.

Hitomi quickly turned to him, "What?"

"On the train," said Kaldur, "I saw the way he looked at her. I believe he cares for her."

Hitomi got up quickly and gave him a serious stare, "Are you absolutely sure?"

Kaldur became concerned by Hitomi change in behavior, "Yes, Wally and M`gann saw it as well."

"Oh no," said Hitomi afraid as she ran to track down Karin and Riku. "Please not today…not again," she muttered as she heard Kaldur following behind her.

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Wally, Superboy, Robin, Artemis, and M`gann, were outside of a restaurant, taking a break from all the walking they've been doing. They were watching the speedster stuff his face with some beef Ramen.

Superboy hesitantly checked the gift he purchased that was in his pocket. He saw it an hour or so ago and automatically thought of Karin. He wanted to give it to her when the rest of The Team wasn't looking, not wanting them to tease him or anything.

"Okay," said Artemis, "How many bowls have you had?"

"Just three," said Wally after slurping the remains of his food. "Hey, I don't get authentic Japanese food often, and I'm not holding back," he said in defense as he saw Artemis repelled face.

"That doesn't mean you have to eat the entire menu," said Robin amused.

"Dude," screeched Wally.

Suddenly Hitomi ran to their table, "Where are Kar-can and Riku-kun?" she asked panicking once she noticed that they were missing.

"They left a little while ago," said M`gann startled by the hanyou's anxiety, "Riku said he wanted to give Karin her birthday present in private."

"Damn it," Hitomi swore.

"What's wrong?" asked Artemis

"That flea bag better not do anything stupid," Hitomi stated, before catching her friends scent and going off to find them.

The Team followed her, not liking what they just heard.

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Karin and Riku were walking side by side at a lower part of the shopping center.

"I didn't realize how much I missed everybody," she said.

Riku nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it feels strange not being able to see you as often as I used to."

Karin shrugged, "Well I have a lot of responsibilities now. It makes it hard to get away."

"I don't like it though," Riku admitted, "I'm too far away to help you if you're in trouble."

She nudged him playfully, "You know better than anyone that I can take care of myself."

Riku chuckled, "Yeah, you're right."

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"There they are," Hitomi said from the upper level above Riku and Karin, who had stopped walking and sat on a nearby bench.

"What's going on?" asked Superboy confused looking over the railing.

M`gann looked at the hanyou concerned, "Is there a problem with Karin?"

Hitomi growled, "Riku-kun might 'be' the problem."

"Is he going to harm her?" Kaldur asked protectively.

"Physically, no," said Hitomi assuring, "I'd kick his ass if he did. But emotionally yes, if he admit his feelings again."

"Again?" Artemis repeated, "How many times has he done it?"

"Twice," Hitomi answered holding up two fingers, "And if he tells her again, Kami only knows what will happen."

Robin shrugged, "I'm failing to see why this is bad."

Hitomi thought over the best way to explain, "Okay, you know how wolves mate for life?" she asked the group, who nodded. "Well, the same thing applies to wolf yōkai. Riku-kun has kind of chosen Kar-chan to be his potential 'mate' years ago ," she used air quotes, "In middle school, they started dating and Riku-kun got crazy jealous when other guys were around Kar-chan. One time he broke a guy's nose when he got to 'friendly' with her. Kar-chan couldn't handle Riku-kun acting like that, so she broke up with him."

"Geez," said Artemis, "How are they still friends?"

"We've all been friends since we were babies," Hitomi explained, "It's not something you can just get rid of the next day. Anyway, when we started high school, Riku-kun told Kar-chan that he'd been working on his emotions and wanted them to try again. He was better and she thought that things would work out for them this time…Then Kar-chan became Moriko." The team had an idea on where this was going, "One day, she got hurt really bad. Her Kaa-san healed her but Riku-kun was furious. He said he didn't want Kar-chan to be Moriko anymore."

Superboy couldn't see that conversation going well, knowing how much Karin liked being a hero. He couldn't even imagine a version of Karin that didn't involve Moriko in her life.

"What did Karin do?" asked M`gann.

Hitomi snorted, "She got mad as hell and said he had no right to tell her what she was allowed to do. Then Riku-kun said, and I quote, 'You are my mate and you obey your alpha.'"

Artemis gave a look of shock and agitation, "Oh hell no."

"Exactly," Hitomi replied, "Kar-chan said she wasn't his mate and they never will be if he made her quit. So they broke up again…They still care about each other as friends obviously, but it's no secret that Riku-kun still wants them to be more. I don't want Kar-chan to be hurt by him again," Hitomi was about to head down the stairs when Wally put a hand on her shoulder stopping her.

"Hold on," said the speedster, "Riku may not do anything drastic. Let's just wait and see."

"But," Hitomi wanted to argue, but Kaldur also gave her a reassuring tone.

"We will be right here if things go wrong," he promised.

Hitomi got teary eyed but nodded.

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Riku pulled out a box from his pocket and handed it to Karin, "Happy Birthday."

Karin's eyes widened in surprise, "Riku-kun, you didn't have to get me anything."

"Of course I did," he told her.

She opened the box eagerly and froze once she saw what was inside. "What?" she asked before she looked at him questioningly.

"Just hear me out," he urged, "It's not what you think."

"This is a ring, Riku-kun," she stated, lifting the box, showing the silver banded ring with a heart shaped diamond in the middle.

Riku nodded, "I know," he said before getting on one knee.

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"Uh oh," Hitomi said as she watched Riku's movements.

Wally's eyes widened, "Is he doing what I think he's doing?"

"Looks like it," said Robin, "And by the look on Karin's face, she's not feeling any aster."

Superboy used his super-hearing to overhear Karin and Riku's conversation.

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"Riku-kun please," Karin begged, "Don't."

"It's not an engagement ring," Riku assured, "It's a promise ring."

Karin shook her head confused, "What for?"

He grabbed both her hands, "For us…I know I haven't been easy to be with in the past. And I know that when you became Moriko, things got complicated with us."

"You want me to be the Karin who didn't go out almost every night to fight bad guys and help people," she accused. Riku had never understood or accepted her being a hero.

"I know," said Riku, "And I'd be lying if I said I still don't want you to stop. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you...When I told you to choose between me and Moriko, I was mad when you choose to remain a hero, but Karin I…I still love you."

Karin started to cry, "Riku-kun."

He placed his hands on her lips, "Let me finish," he said before pulling his hand back, "I realize that making you choose was a selfish thing for me to do. I've watched you on the news with your Kaa-san and some of the League and I know this is what you were meant to be. Which is why I have to ask...Will you give us another chance?"

It took everything Kairn had not to fall apart right there on the spot. "Riku-kun, a part of me will always love you too but."

Riku bowed his head, "But," he repeated, "I was afraid of that word."

"Just listen," she urged making him look back, "You still don't want me to be Moriko, Riku-kun. Not fully…I can't be with someone who doesn't understand that."

The wolf yōkai growled in anger, "Who the hell is going to understand that? Who else is going to be with you knowing who and what you are?"

Karin cried harder.

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"That son of a bitch," Hitomi growled, hearing every word Riku had just said. Kaldur held her back by grabbing her shoulders.

Superboy tightened his fist in anger. In fact, the whole situation had him incredibly irritated, 'How dare he force her to be something she's not,' he thought in fury.

"What did he say?" M`gann asked Superboy. He showed her in his mind, which she relayed to The Team telepathically.

"What's his problem?" said Robin frustrated that his friend was crying, and they didn't know how to stop it.

"He's upset," said Artemis, "People say stupid things when they're upset."

"Oh right, take the losers side, and not your team mates" Wally said furiously.

"Just keep listening, Baywatch," she argued, "You'll see what I mean."

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Riku's eyes widened, realizing the words that slipped out of his mouth, "Karin I'm sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean that."

"No," she said as steady as she could, "You're right…No one is probably ever going to want or understand me…And that's okay, I never expect it anyway. But Riku-kun," she said cupping his face, "I hope that one day, you find someone you deserve. Someone who will be there for you, who needs and wants your protection. Someone who loves all of who you are. And as much as you want that someone to be me...I'm not."

Riku looked completely broken but still managed to ask, "Why not?"

Karin turned her gaze away.

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"Lets go," ordered Kaldur.

"But, what about Karin?" the Martian asked concerned.

"She is not in any danger," said Kaldur, "And we already intruded too much on her privacy."

Artemis nodded, "That's one teen drama we should never had listened to."

Hitomi wiped her cheek from a loose tear that fell, "Kami, I hope this ends well."

"We'll find out in a bit," said Robin.

Superboy wanted to stay, not wanting to leave Karin alone with someone who made her cry. But Kaldur was right, they interfered enough by listening in a very private conversation. So the Boy of Steel focused on the other noises going on around him, canceling out Karin and Riku's voices.

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"You like someone else don't' you?" Riku asked a little hurt.

Karin pulled her hand back to wipe her eyes, not answering his question.

"Is it one of your team mates?" Riku asked. Karin looked at him suspiciously as she could after being so upset, "I'm not asking as a jealous ex-boyfriend, but as a concerned longtime friend."

Karin still didn't respond.

Realizing that he wasn't going to get an answer, Riku took a deep calming breath. "Whoever he is, I'll kill him if he hurts you."

Karin half smiled, "Yeah, I know…You always want to protect me, don't you?"

Riku got up and sat back next to her, "Can't help it. It's instinct."

She gave a full smile and snickered, remembering the time Riku said the exact same thing when he broke a boy's nose because of her. "You know you can't use that as an excuse for everything."

"It's true though," he argued smiling too.

Karin laughed harder, and was surprised at how insane this whole conversation had been. One minute she's happy, the next she's crying and the next she's laughing. But oddly enough that's what was happening. Riku may not have been the most perfect boyfriend but he was definitely a good friend. Closing the box with the ring, she handed it back to Riku, "Here, you might want to get your money back."

Riku reluctantly accepted it, "Yeah…Hold on," he reached into this other pocket and pulled out a flat rectangular box wrapped in light purple paper, "Here's another birthday present, since you won't take the other one."

Karin laughed again, "Really?"

Riku shrugged looking innocent, "What? I needed a backup in case this didn't go my way."

"You do realize that, I just rejected you and now you're giving me a gift," she said amused.

"You're still my friend…right?" he asked, wanting to be sure.

Karin smiled and nodded. She opened the wrapper and found a CD inside. She read the track list that had songs about regrets and first loves that got away. Karin playfully smacked his arm, "This is mean,' she accused.

"Hey, you rejected my love and affection. The least you can do is pay the price for it: One long night of moping with songs of the heart broken," he mocked.

She snickered, "Fine, that's fair."

"Hey guys," Hitomi greeted, as she and The Team came down from the upper level. "Is everything okay?" the hanyou asked, glaring at the wolf yōkai.

"Yeah," Karin assured her niece, "We're fine." By one look at Hitomi's face she had to specify, "I'm fine."

"You better be," the kitsune hanyuo said before giving Riku an 'I'm watching you' motion with her fingers.

Riku glared back at Hitomi, "Bring it on, you damn fox."

"What's that?" Robin asked gesturing to the CD, hoping to change the subject.

Karin snickered showing them the mix, "My punishment."

Hitomi looked at the titles, reading the first few one by one. All the hatred she had for Riku suddenly faded as she fell into fits of laughter. "This is the worst birthday gift ever."

"I know," Karin agreed laughing too.

Riku shook his head, "Hey I'm the one that's suffering here. This is the third time I've been dumped by the same girl."

"Riiight," Wally said sarcastically not wanting to show sympathy for the guy that made his friend cry.

Karin shook her head at the speedster, "Its fine. Actually, some of these songs aren't that bad," she said pointing out a few of them that she actually liked.

"Hey, the fireworks are starting," Artemis said pointing outside.

Everyone turned and saw she was right, as a few fireworks exploded in the sky.

The teens all headed outside, while M`gann, Kaldur and Superboy were walking with Karin. They noticed how even though she was smiling now, she still looked a little upset from the whole ordeal.

"Are you certain you are alright?" asked Kaldur in concern.

"Hai," Karin answered, "And thanks for not listening in the end." The trio had guilty expressions on their faces, which made her laugh, "It's okay. It means a lot that you guys care enough to check on me. And for not ease dropping when you realized I was fine."

"We're just glad you're okay," M`gann said wrapping her arms around her cousin in a weird walk hug.

As the Martian and Atlantean went to catch up with the rest of the group, Superboy quickly grabbed a hold of Karin's hand, and slipped his gift into Karin's grip. She gave him a quick look of curiosity before she brought the object up to get a closer look. It was necklace with a silver chain that had a light purple jeweled flower at the end. Karin looked at the pretty necklace with a happy expression and turned to give the Boy of Steel a grateful smile, "Arigatou, Superboy."

Superboy smiled back, glad that he was able to make her feel better. "Happy Birthday, Karin," he said as they stood outside watching the rest of the fireworks with their friends.

**Okay, that took a weird turn even I wasn't expecting. (And I'm writing the thing for Pete sake) But I'm glad things worked out the way they did. Anyway, Htiomi and Riku are back. Hopefully, you'll enjoy their teenage versions as much as the original ones. So, what do you think? Next Time: A touch of magic and some fluff.**

**Till Then My Readers **


	9. Do You Believe In Magic?

To Be a Hero

**To My Reviewers: **

**Inu-Hanyou2016: I'm glad you loved the chapter. I was really nervous that no one would like it but I'm happy I was proven wrong. **

**sverhei: Thanks, I'm excited to do this couple. **

**fandomenforcer: I know right!**

**Kitsune's Den: Alas he was, but I do have plans for him and I'll see what I can do with Wally and Hitomi bits. **

**Mistress Freya: ...Glad that you think so...That's what I was going for, ease them into the story before putting them in any action...And here's more for you and all my readers. **

**Applejax XD: Ah ah ah not dumped: Rejected. What's the difference?...I have no idea. :p **

**Molly Grace 16: I don't want to give away too much but she does inherit some traits from Inuyasha that will be mentioned later. **

**To all my reviewers, Hexal, sammy-hell-bitch, and ultima-owner for favoriting/following, thank you for your awesomeness. **

Disclaimer: (You all know how this song and dance goes) IInuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and the Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. I own nothing except Karin and my other original characters who will not be seen in this chapter but will be remembered for future events. So please don't sue me.

Chapter 9: Do You Believe In Magic?

_Mount Justice August 19, 19:39 EDT_

Karin took a deep breath as she stared intently at the target in front of her

"Good," said Artemis, "Now just let it go."

Karin released the arrow from the bow, "Damn it," she cursed when it didn't hit the target dead center.

"You got close," Artemis praised next to M`gann, who was holding Kirara in her arms.

They were in the training area, and Karin thought that Artemis could help her with her archery skills. M`gann was watching for moral support, while Kaldur and Superboy were sparring as Wally watched them and snacked on food.

"Why can't I get the hang of this," Karin complained.

"You just need more practice," assured Artemis. "But hey, at least you got your sword."

Still, Karin sighed and put up the bow, "My sword is only to be used as very, very, very, very last, resort."

Artemis raised a brow, "Ooookay."

A grunting sound caught the girl's attention, and they saw Kaldur on the ground with the words 'Aqualad Status: Fail' next to him.

"Black Canary taught me that," said Superboy as he helped the Atlantean off the ground. The girls applauded for the Boy of Steel's victory. Superboy glanced over to the girls and noticed that Karin was wearing the necklace he gave her. He didn't know why, but it made him happy to see her wearing it.

Artemis turned to the girls, "So Kaldur's nice, don't ya think?" she asked as Superboy helped the Atlantean off the floor.

"He's definitely more polite then most guys," Karin agreed.

"One of you should totally ask him out," Artemis suggested.

M`gann chuckled and shook her head, "He's like an older brother."

"And I'm still getting over the whole promise proposal thing," Karin reminded her.

After the trip to Odaiba, The Team went back to the shrine for birthday cake and to meet the rest of Karin's family. They didn't get a chance to meet Sesshōmaru due to work issues, but they did meet Kouga and Ayame. The remainder of the evening was filled with deadly glares aiming at Riku from J`onn, Shippo and even Kouga for the rest of night after they heard what he'd done to Karin. Kagome only shrugged the incident off after she heard and muttered, _"If I had a yen for every time a yōkai confessed to me, I could send both my children to college."_ The Team laughed thinking that the miko was joking, only to be met with a serious nod from everyone except Kouga, who avoided eye contact with everyone in the room especially his glaring wife.

"But you know who would make the cutest couple?" Karin said with a teasing tone.

M`gann caught her cousin's message and motioned her head to the speedster, "You and Wally," she said to the archer, "You're so full of passion and he's so full of…umm" she paused trying to think of the right word to describe Wally.

"It," Artemis finished.

The girls laughed.

Suddenly, Red Tornado came out of his room from above the training area.

Wally ran to the android, "Do you have a new mission for us?"

"Missions assignments are Batman's responsibility," Red Tornado reminded them.

"Yeah, but the Batman's with the Robin doing the dynamic-duo thing in Gotham," said Wally, "But you're headed somewhere, right? A hot date? Or a mission?" he asked hoping it was the later.

"If we can be of any help," Kaldur offered.

Red Tornado considered their offer and decided to take it. He turned to the holographic computer to show them his mission. A picture of an old man with a cane showed on the screen, "This is Kent Nelson, a friend. He is a hundred and six years old."

"Guy doesn't look a day over ninety," Wally whispered to Artemis, who rolled her eyes.

Karin nudged the speedster with her elbow, "Don't be rude, Wally-kun."

"Kent has been missing for twenty three days," Red Tornado continued, "He was a charter member of the Justice Society, the precursor to your mentors' Justice League." The image of the man changed to a man wearing a dark purple and gold suite, with a golden helmet.

Kaldur recognized the old man immediately, "Of course, Nelson was Earth's sorcerer supreme. He was Doctor Fate."

Kairn's eyes widened at that information. She had heard of Doctor Fate from her parents, who spoke very highly of him.

Wally wasn't impressed, "More like Doctor Fake," he mumbled to Artemis, "Guy knows advanced science and 'Dumbledores' it up to scare bad guys and impress the babes."

Red Tornado turned to the team, "Kent may be on one of his…walkabouts. But he is caretaker to the Helmet of Fate, the source of the doctor's mystic power. It is unwise to leave such a power unguarded."

"Doctor Fate is considered the greatest sorcerer among the priests and priestesses of Mars," said M`gann in admiration. "I would be honored to help find him."

Wally quickly raised his hand, "Me too," he said completely changing his tone of voice from annoyance to enthusiasm.

Karin looked at him suspiciously, "Didn't you just say that magic was."

Wally quickly blocked her mouth with his hand, preventing her from speaking. "So honored. Magic rocks," he continued while giving the rock and roll sign with his free hand. Annoyed by his methods, Karin bit one of Wally's fingers that was still covering her mouth. "Oww," he complained while retreating his hand.

Artemis chuckled, "Serves you right," she told the speedster.

"You will need this," said Red Tornado handing a key to Kaldur, "It opens the door to The Tower of Fate."

Sore finger forgotten, Wally leaned closer to M`gann, "What are the chances wed both so admire the mystic arts?" Completely aggravated that the speedster didn't stop with his flirting after his first warning, Karin flicked Wally's ear. "Oww. Will you knock it off?" he yelled.

"Why don't you?" Karin challenged.

Superboy smirked at both of them.

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_Salem August 19, 20:22 EDT_

"So, Wally," Artemis said from the front of the Bio-Ship, "When did you first realize your honest affinity for sorcery?"

Karin leaned forward form her spot from behind the speedster, "Oh yes, do tell us," she said mockingly.

"Well," said Wally trying to sound cool, "I don't want to brag but before I became Kid Flash, I seriously considered becoming a wizard myself."

Everyone, minus M`gann who was flying the ship, shook their heads in disproval at how far Wally was willing to go to impress the Martian.

"We've reached Red Tornado's coordinates," M`gann informed the others before she noticed something concerning.

The field was empty.

"Nothing's there," said Superboy once he saw the empty clearing.

Kaldur looked to the Martian, "Take us down."

M`gann lowered the Bio-Ship to the location. The minute The Team exited the ship, Karin's hair stood on end, as did Kirara's who was on her charge's shoulder. "Geez," Karin said while rubbing her arms of the goose bumps that appeared on her arms, "Yeah, we're in the right place alright."

Wally used his super-speed to check around the perimeter of the location. "Nothing," he said when he came back to the group a few minutes later, "This isn't simple camouflage."

Artemis smirked, "So, what do you think?" she asked too innocently. "Adaptive micro-optoelectronics combined with phase-shifting?"

"Absolutely," said Wally with confidence before he took one look at M`gann. "N-Not. Clearly mystic powers are at work here," he said in a fake full believer of magic way.

"Damn, almost got him," Karin mumbled to Superboy, who gave a half smile.

Kaldur looked at the key Red Tornado gave him, with the words 'Insert' written on the side. "A test of faith," he said before walking forward and thrusting the key into the air as if there was a lock there.

Suddenly, a large tower mystically appeared before The Team. They now stood in front of The Tower of Fate, where a big wooden door was now in front of them with the key inserted in a lock.

"Whoa," said Karin, as her yōkai senses spiked up by ten due to the magic she felt from the tower, "That's impressive." Kirara meowed in agreement.

Kaldur twisted the key to unlock the wooden door and pushed it open.

The Team slowly made their way inside, not knowing what to expect.

The moment the young heroes were inside, the door slammed shut behind them before vanishing without a trace.

"What the hell?" Superboy yelled surprised.

Suddenly, a mystical image of Kent Nelson appeared in front of them. _"Greetings,"_ he said politely, "_You have entered my home with a key, but The Tower does not recognize you. Please state your purpose."_

Wally with his confident demeanor gave M`gann a reassuring look, "I'll handle this," he told her and everyone else before going up to 'Kent.' "We are true believers, here to find Doctor Fate."

The image of Kent frowned as he vanished before The Team's eyes.

Suddenly the ground beneath the young heroes began to shake, before it collapsed beneath their feet.

Everyone screamed as they began to fall threw a giant hole. They screamed even louder once they noticed what awaited at the bottom of the crater; boiling hot lava.

Reacting as fast as they could, Artemis pulled out her hidden cross bow and shot one of her arrows that had a rope attached, to the crater wall. Once secured, the archer swung on the rope and grabbed hold of Kaldur saving him. M`gann grabbed Wally and levitated them in mid-air with her telekinesis. Kiara transformed to her larger from and grabbed Karin by the back of her blouse with her teeth, and stayed in the air.

Superboy, who was the lowest, managed to grab hold of the wall of the crater and used his super-strength to stop himself before falling fully into the lava. However, his feet did manage to get inside the boiling magma. The Boy of Steel screamed before he pulled his feet out and noticed that his shoes and socks, were melted away. "Those were my favorite boots," Superboy said in irritation, "This Nelson guy better be worth it."

Slowly, M`gann began to lose altitude from the air and eventually landed on Kirara's back, who was floating upward. "Sorry," the Martian said to the neko, "It's just so hot." Martians physiology were very vulnerable to any form of extreme heat.

"Yes you are," replied the speedster.

"Wally," Artemis said in disbelief that he was still flirting with the Martian in their current situation.

"Hey, we're inches above bubbling death, I'm aloud to speak my mind," he reasoned to the archer.

Kaldur began to sweat heavily as well, since Atlanteans were also susceptible to heat.

"We've got to get out of here," Karin said once she noticed Kaldur was in the same distress as her cousin.

The Martian pondered about why this even happened in the first place when it finally struck her, "Hello M`gann," she said tapping her forehead, as the neko continued to fly upward. "Hold on, Kirara. We didn't truly answer the question." M`gann looked up the crater's opening and yelled, "Red Tornado sent us to see if Mr. Nelson and the helmet were safe!"

The ground below the crater as suddenly covered with bricks and the extreme heat of the lava had vanished.

Superboy, Artemis and Kaldur jumped to the bottom and Kirara flew down and landed with the rest of The Team.

Kaldur bent down to feel the ground with his hand, "The floor…It should be burning hot but, it's cool to the touch."

"Magic's funny that way," Karin told him while shrugging.

Wally put his arms around M`gann and Karin, "Don't worry ladies I gotcha."

Finally having enough, Artemis walked up to Wally and slapped him upside the head, "Enough! You're constant 'impressing the ladies at all cost' routine, nearly got us all barbequed."

"How is that my fault?" Wally argued with her.

"When you lied to," Artemis tried to come up with a name for the image of Kent Nelson, "Whatever-it-was, and said you were a 'true' believer."

M`gann looked at the speedster questioningly, "Do you not believe, Wally?"

Everyone looked at the speedster accusingly.

Wally sighed, "Okay, fine. I. Lied," he admitted, "But magic is the real lie. It's a major load of crap."

Kaldur shook his head disappointed in his friends, "Wally, I studied for a year at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Atlantis. The mystic arts crated the skin icons," he gestured to the ells marked on his skin, "They are what power my Water-Bearers."

"Dude, haven't you ever heard of bioelectricity?" asked Wally as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

"For a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers, you're pretty close minded," Artemis accused.

"That's science," argued Wally. "I recreated Flash's lab experiment that created his super-speed and here I am. Everything can be explained. By. Science."

"Alright science guy," Karin said gaining his attention. "Then how do you explain me?" she challenged, "I'm part dog yōkai. Or explain Riku-kun and Hitomi-chan and their demonic blood. Or better yet, explain Kirara with your science."

The neko transformed to her smaller form and jumped on Wally's shoulder and licked his cheek. "Your step-dad and cousin are Martians," he reasoned. "What makes you think 'demons'," he used air quotes, "aren't from space too?"

Karin rolled her eyes, "Short sighted, baka," she mumbled.

As the argument was commencing, Kaldur found a trap door on the floor, "How about we test Wally's theory of explanation," he suggested as the Atlantean lifted the door.

Wally looked horrified, "No wait! The lava will roast us alive!"

Instead of extreme heat, The Team felt a cold chill from the trap doors opening. The lava was gone and replaced with, "Snow," M`gann identified.

Kiara jumped from Wally's shoulder to her charge's and wrapped around the back of Karin's neck like a fur scarf. The neko shivered and hissed at the snow, detesting the stuff.

"Sorry, Kirara. We don't have much of a choice," Karin said petting the neko's head, before she jumped into the trap door and landed in some winter mountain area. She was beginning to realize why The Tower of Fate got very few visitors. 'It's hard to wrap your head around this place,' Karin thought to herself. The Team followed her example and jumped through the opening, landing on the snow covered ground.

Artemis turned to Wally and spread her arms out and gave him a look as if to say 'explain this, smart guy. '

"You ever heard of String Theory?" asked Wally, giving another rational scientific explanation, "We're in a pocket dimension."

"Wow," said Karin, rolling her eyes at the depths of his denial.

M`gann looked around and spotted something unusual, "What's that?" she pointed to a floating cane in the middle of the snow field.

"Ooh, maybe it's Nelson's magic wand," Wally said mockingly.

Both Artemis and Wally went up the cane to grab it, "I got it," they said at the same time before the cane began to glow yellow. "I can't let go," they said in union as they tried to loosen their grip. Suddenly, the cane and it's 'passengers' flew up into the sky before vanishing completely.

Kaldur, Superboy, Karin and M`gann watched the whole scene helplessly.

"What just happened?" asked Karin.

"I am not sure," said Kaldur.

Superboy looked around and saw nothing but mountains and snow, "Now what?"

"Now, we walk," said Kaldur as he began walking in a random direction with M`gann, Karin, and Superboy following right behind him.

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_Ten Minutes Later _

"Aren't you cold?" Karin asked Superboy, gesturing his lack of foot ware. She rubbed her arms to stay warm from the continuously falling snow, wishing she had her fire rat kimono with her.

The Boy of Steel shrugged, "The snow doesn't bother me."

Karin half laughed, "And apparently neither does lava," she gestured to his bare feet, "You don't have a burn on you."

"Kryptonian," he reminded her.

"Right," she said with a hint of jealousy as she shivered from the cold blowing wind. "Wish I was as tough as you."

Superboy looked at her questioningly, "You're already strong the way you are."

Karin stopped shivering, her body suddenly becoming warm from his compliment. "Th-thanks."

The next few minutes were filled with silence.

"I don't understand Wally," M`gann said suddenly, grabbing her team mate's attention. "It's like he needs to believe the impossible can't happen."

Kaldur tried to explain, "He uses his understanding of science to control what he cannot comprehend."

"That's why yōkai don't reveal themselves to humans," Karin explained, "A human's mind can only take so much and if it breaks, they go mad."

"Precisely," Kaldur continued, "For Wally, acknowledging the existence of magic would be to relinquish the last vestige of his control."

"I guess that makes sense," said M`gann.

Suddenly, a creaking noise made the group pause. Looking around, they saw a door way and some stairs on a mountain side. The teenagers looked at each other before heading towards the door way. Superboy went in first, followed by Karin, and M`gann. What felt like walking through a door, suddenly became falling down a black abyss of nothingness.

Falling in the black abyss, an opening suddenly appeared. Superboy fell through it first and collapsed on a hard floor. Kaldur fell through the opening next, with his body landing on top of the Boy of Steel's stomach. Karin fell next, her body landing on Kaldur's back with Kirara clinging to her shoulder for dear life. M`gann levitated gracefully out of the opening and landed on her feet.

Inside the room was Artemis, Wally and the real Kent Nelson.

"Thanks for the help, M`gann-chan," Karin said sarcastically as she got off the two boys.

M`gann looked at everyone sheepishly in regret, "Sorry."

"Oh thank God," said Artemis as she ran up to her friends. Wally stood where he was next to Kent Nelson, who they met a few minutes ago.

"Friends of yours," Kent asked the speedster about the new arrivals, before a bolt of lightning was shot at them.

Wally dodged the attack before he looked up and saw the attacker. It was from a man named Abra Kadabra, who used future technology to create mimic sorcery. Next to him was a boy named Klarion, holding his cat, Teekl. According to Kent, the boy was actually a Lord of Chaos, the enemy of Dr. Fate, Lord of Order. "Friends of yours," Wally mocked before moving Kent out of the way of another of Abra Kadabra's attacks.

The Team dodged the bolts of lightning attacks that were aimed towards them.

Kent knew he had to get the Helmet of Fate to stop all of this. With his cane he rang a giant bell that was in the middle of the platform they were standing on and led Wally threw it, to the helmet's location.

Klarion saw this and smirked with anticipation before following the duo.

"What are they doing?" asked Karin before dodging another of Abra Kadabra's lightning attacks.

Kirara transformed and roared at the want-to-be magician. Abra Kadabra smirked at the neko and trapped her in a cage of electricity.

"I'll find him," said M`gann as she pushed back another lighting attack with her telekinesis. _"Wally, we're in trouble,"_ she told him telepathically, _"Tell Kent we need Doctor Fate,"_ she managed to say before the power of the lightning was too much for her to hold back and was trapped in a cage like Kirara.

"No!" Karin growled as she lunged at the villain, only to get trapped by the electric cage as well.

One by one, the rest of The Team was entrapped by the electrical cages, that had them withering in pain on the ground.

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_Five Minutes Later _

Abra Kadabra laughed at the young heroes suffering.

Little did he know, that just outside the tower, Dr. Fate was able to take down Klarion, thanks to Wally being used as a human host. And with that power, he took away Abara Kadabra's wand and clothing. Leaving him nothing to use as a weapon.

Now that he was released, Superboy punched the fake magician in the face, knocking him out cold.

"Where's Wally?" asked Artemis concerned.

Suddenly, the doorway from the giant bell opened once more, and The Team ran to help their friends. Once they reached the other side, they saw Wally kneeling next to a body on the ground.

The body was Kent Nelson, who had died trying to save all of them.

"No," Karin whimpered teary eyed, Kirara rubbed her head on the girls arm soothingly.

M`gann cried and went to Superboy's chest for comfort. He wrapped her in an awkward one armed hug. His eyes turned to Karin as she tried her best to wipe away the falling tears on her cheeks. He hated seeing her cry.

Artemis let her tears fall down freely down her face. Although she only knew him for only a few minutes, the archer knew he was a good man.

Kaldur looked down in sorrow, 'We have failed.'

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_A Few Hours Later _

The Justice League's founding members, a few other heroes, and The Team stood outside The Tower Fate, for the funeral of Kent Nelson. He was buried near the grounds next to his beloved deceased wife, Inza.

Kagome cried at the passing of the strong hero and good friend. She had met Kent Nelson a few times and he often praised her for her triumph of destroying the Shikon Jewel, which helped bring order into the world.

J`onn held his wife's hand, while his arm was wrapped around their son, who was effected by everyone's grief. He glanced to his other side where Karin and M`gann were huddled together, looking down at the grave sadly. "He is at peace now," he reminded his family, "And once he's free from the helmet, he'll be reunited with his wife." Wally told the others how Kent agreed to stay in the helmet with Nabu to keep him company until a new host for the helmet could be found. "He'll be with his 'Spitefire'."

Kagome gave a small chuckle at Kent's nick name for Inza, "That's true," she said wiping her eyes and squeezed her husband's hand.

J`onn didn't hesitate to squeeze back.

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_Mount Justice August 27, 07:58 EDT _

Even after the passing of a great hero, life went on as normal.

The Team went out on a mission to fight a villain known as Clayface. Although, the young heroes fought together brilliantly, it wasn't enough.

Batman had to interfere, and saved The Team from being harmed.

"I need to talk to Aqualad," Batman told The Team once they returned to The Cave, "The rest of you, head home and hit the showers."

"You don't have to tell me," Karin complained as she removed her scarf and wiped some of the disgusting clay residue that Clayface left behind on her face.

"Head home?" mumbled Superboy, "I am home."

Karin frowned after hearing him say that so harshly and sighed. It's been close to two months since Superboy's been living in The Cave. She knew the Boy of Steel's real issue is his non-progressing relationship with Superman. The Man of Steel still refused to speak to or visit Superboy. 'What's it going to take for that to change?' she wondered.

Kirara meowed nudging her charges ankle remaindering her that they needed to wash up. Karin nodded, picked up the neko and headed to the shower.

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_Thirty Minutes Later _

"That's so much better," Karin said pleased that she was now clean as she entered the sitting room.

M`gann was in the kitchen nearby, looking for a recipe to make for dinner for the three of them.

Superboy was already cleaned up and was staring at the T.V.

Karin walked up to the Boy of Steel, and saw him really engaged at the television that was stuck on the menu and showing static. He seemed completely engaged in the static, as if it were soothing in some way. Not wanting to relieve him of that comfort, Karin simply sat next to him and got comfortable.

Superboy turned his gaze to her, confused that she wasn't complaing to change the chanel like the others have before, "What are you doing?"

"Shh," Karin said facing him with a finger to her mouth, "This is the best part," she pointed to the T.V. static and turned her face back to it.

Superboy raised a brow and gave a small smile of amusement before turning his eyes back to the static screen.

The next few minutes were filled with comfortable silence.

"Don't you both want to watch something?" M`gann asked Superboy and her cousin.

"No," said Superboy.

M`gann raised a brow, "Well, do either of you want to help me make dinner?"

"No," said Superboy again, only this time he got up and headed to the kitchen.

"But they were about to tell us who the killer was," Karin joked gesturing to the static, before she got up and went to the kitchen.

M`gann chuckled and looked at the recipe book, "Let's see, we're going to need some brown sugar," she said and used her telekinesis to bring out the item.

Superboy caught the bag.

"A little butter," the Martian continued and pulled the item out with her mind, which Karin caught. "Some salt, cooking oil, vinegar," she continued to list and pulled out the items with her mind.

"Uhh, M`gann-chan," Karin tried to warn her cousin, while she and Superboy tried to catch all the items.

"A few eggs, a couple of tomatoes," the Martian kept listing, not realizing she was doing so much.

"M`gann-chan," Karin tried again as the pile of food began to stack up in her arms.

"Some milk, a bowl of flour, and a few cups of," the Martian continued.

"M`gann-chan!" Karin yelled the final time.

This time the Martian did look up and turned to her friends. Karin and Superboy were now completely covered in food. "Oops, sorry," she said getting a few kitchen towels. "Too much at once."

Karin looked at herself and then looked at Superboy's appearance and couldn't help herself.

She laughed.

"That's a…good look for…you," Karin said in her hysterics, pointing at Superboy.

"Karin," M`gann scolded her cousin but she couldn't help snickering a little as well.

Superboy glared at the two girls and their laughter. That's when he got an idea. Grabbing bits of tomato pieces of his sleeve he tossed at Karin's laughing face.

M`gann and Karin stopped their snickering and looked at the Boy of Steel shocked.

"Ha, ha," he mocked.

Karin gave him a taunting look, "Oh, so that's how you want to play," she jeered taking a half broken egg off the counter, getting on her tip toes and smashing it on Superboy's head.

M`gann giggled, as Superboy wiped the egg yolk that was dripping to his forehead.

Wiping the egg off his face, Superboy glared at the laughing Martian before flicking the egg in her direction making yolk land on her shirt.

M`gann looked at her shirt horrified before staring at Superboy and Karin who both looked guiltless. She gave an innocent smirk of her own before she used her telekinesis to lift up all the loose food that was on the floor and kitchen counters.

Superboy and Karin eyes widened in horror.

"Uh oh," was all Karin could say, before M`gann unleashed the ruined food on the two teens.

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Hearing the commotion, Red Tornado walked to the kitchen and sitting area of The Cave. Once he arrived, he tried to contemplate what his robotic eyes were witnessing.

Karin, Superboy, and M`gann were all covered in tomato, egg, and other types of food and were on the ground, laughing their heads off.

None of them noticed the robot here standing there.

Not knowing how to proceed with this situation but understood that the protégés weren't in any danger, Red Tornado turned around to go back to his room. Only one thought was running through his electronic mind; 'Human acts continue to obscure me.'

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_A Few Hours Later _

"Hey, what happened to all the food that was in the fridge?" asked Kid Flash, gesturing how bare it was from the last time he saw it.

Moriko and Miss Martian looked at each other, then back at the speedster before shrugging innocently.

Surprisingly, Superboy was struggling to keep a straight face.

"Does anyone want some cookies?" Miss Martian asked, holding a tray that just came out of the oven. "Careful, they're hot."

Superboy reached for one, but it was suddenly stolen by the speedster. "Not as hot as you, babe,"

Moriko rolled her eyes, "That was incredibly cheezy, Wally-kun."

"I only speak the truth, Pretty Eyes," the speedster continued to flirt.

"Umm, thanks Wally," said Miss Martian uncertainly, "That's sweet."

"Not as sweet as you, sugar," Kid Flash replied, giving a flirting smile.

Artemis slapped the back of the speedsters head, "Grow up, would ya," she said while getting a cookie.

"_Team, you have a mission,"_ said Batman on the intercom.

Everyone headed to the Mission Room.

"_Recognize: Aqualad B02," _said the computer voice of the zeta tube, as Aqualad came walking into the Mission Room.

"Welcome back," said Miss Martian.

Batman looked at the Atlantian and question, "Have you made your decision?" he asked.

Aqualad had recently been questioning if he belonged on the surface world, or staying as Aquaman, his King's, protégé. But after spending some time in Atlantis, and seeing his first love Tula with his best friend Garth, he made his decision. "I am here…one hundred percent."

Satisfied with his answer Batman nodded, "Just in time for your next mission. The Watchtower has found an immense power surge in a desert in Africa."

"Which country?" asked Robin.

Batman brought up the images on the holographic computer, "Bialya."

Karin's eyes widened, 'Oh this is going to be fun,' she thought to herself sarcastically.

**This is mainly filler, but hey I work with what I got. So what do you think? Next time: Memory loss in the desert, what could possibly happen? **

**Till Then My Readers**


	10. Who Are You?

To Be a Hero

**I'd like to give a shout out to: Anime hotty lover.18, Molly Grace 16, Inu-Hanyou2016, Guest, Applejax XD, I am catlord,****ultima-owner, chibi-Clar, Kitsune's Den, Lost in Reality's Mirror, OriginalElementa, and Mistress Freya. Thank you all so much for the reviews and support. **

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha. Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network own Young Justice. I own Karin/Moriko...That is all.

Chapter 10: Who Are You?

_Bialya September 4, 08:34 EEST _

Karin winced at the bright sunlight shinning in her eyes. She groaned as she sat up from the ground and grabbed her head in pain.

'What happened?' she thought to herself, since her head felt like it was split in two with an ice pick, then got stitched back together.

Karin shifted her body slightly and quickly noticed that the ground that she was laying on was very peculiar. She looked down and lifted the bits of sand in her hand and felt the texture between her fingers.

The sand was extremely hot.

Taking a look at her surroundings, it became obvious that Karin wasn't in Japan anymore.

"A desert," she identified in annoyance, "How in the hell did I end up in a desert?" She lifted herself up on her feet and dusted the sand off her clothes, that's when she noticed what she was wearing. "Okay, I'm dressed as Moriko so," she tried to think of a logical reason of why she was in the desert in her hero persona. "Did something happen when I was with my Kaa-san?"

Not knowing what else to do, Karin closed her eyes and cleared her mind. _"Outo-san," _she called out, trying to reach her step-father._ "Outo-san, can you hear me? I need your help. I don't know where I am…Outo-san!"_

After a few minutes of endless calling and pleading, it became clear that wherever Karin was…she was alone.

Karin looked around the hills of sand and couldn't see or smell any traces of her mother or Kirara. "Now what?" she mumbled to herself as she continued sniffed the areas.

Suddenly she paused, picking up a scent that was close by. It was definitely a person and not a random desert animal. Karin didn't know who this scent belonged to and yet the scent seemed very familiar to her.

"Who is this?" Karin wondered out loud, as she began to follow the scent trail left behind by the only person she'll probably ever find out here.

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_Bialyan Desert (Elsewhere) _

Kirara meowed as she wandered the desert she had no memory of journeying to.

How did she get here?

Why was she here?

Where was her charge, Karin?

Transforming into her yōkai form, the neko flew into the sky and began her search for her charge. She only hoped that nothing horrible happened to Karin in her absence.

Not long after Kirara started her search, using her eyes and nose, she spotted an unconscious body in the sand. It wasn't Karin's body but her scent has definitely been in contact with that person in the sand less than half a day ago.

Kirara flew back to the ground and silently walked up the unconscious young man and sniffed his unique scent.

The young man smelled like sea water and fish. He wasn't a yōkai from what the neko's instincts could sense, but she was still wary since the young man had visible gills on his neck.

Kirara nudged the young man with her nose, which made him groan in response. He began to mumble a language that the neko had never heard before in her long years of life, before he fell back unconscious.

The neko concluded that the young man wasn't a threat and by the way Karin's scent lingered on his body, he was a friend.

Suddenly hearing a noise, Kirara ducked behind the boulder that shielded her presence from what was approaching.

Four Bialyan jeeps passed by filled with soldiers, with lots of guns and rifles.

Kirara glared harshly at the soldiers, who had the scent of ill intent lingering over them. She knew that young man would be in danger if he was left alone like this. Especially by the way his body seemed to be visibly sweating from the harsh sunlight.

The neko laid down next to him, using her body to as a shade of sorts to block the young man from the unforgiving sun.

Kirara looked around the seemingly endless desert and hoped that Karin was safe where ever she was.

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_Bialyan Desert (Elsewhere...again) _

Moriko wiped her forehead that was coated in sweat with her sleeve. The extreme heat of the sun was really getting to her. The scent she had been tracking had grown stronger, which made her slow down and realize how exhausted she was.

"Where are you?" she questioned out loud.

Suddenly, the scent Moriko had been following was approaching quickly to her position. She paused to look around and didn't see a soul in sight.

'Then where are they?' Moriko thought in frustration, before she realized which direction she had failed to look at.

Up.

Moriko looked at the sky and saw someone falling.

'No not falling. Landing,' she grasped that someone was about to land right where she was standing.

Moriko quickly evaded from her spot as a person landed on the ground with a massive force that she had only seen someone with super-strength use.

As the dust cleared, Moriko saw a shirtless teenage boy emerged from the crater that he created. He was glaring at her with a predator like stare. The more she looked at him, the more Moriko couldn't help but notice how similar the boy's face resembled someone that she knew. 'Superman...He looks like Superman,' she took one sniff in the air, 'And he smells similar to him too.'

"Umm, hi," she spoke to the teenage boy cautiously as possible, since his intense glaring had her timid. "I'm Moriko. Who are you?...Are you Superman's son?"

Superboy growled before he super-jumped towards her, obviously ready to strike at her again.

Moriko dodged the attack easily, quickly learning that Superboy was strong but not all that bright. "What's your problem?" she yelled at him.

Superboy didn't answer her question. He only growled and roared out a yell before charging towards her, again.

Moriko sidestepped the first punch that Superboy initiated, and blocked the next with great regret. This guy was definitely stronger than her and he wasn't afraid to hold back.

Since Superboy was much closer now, Moriko was able to get a good look into his eyes. Normally she wouldn't bother with something like that, but since this guy clearly wasn't in the mood for chatting, she had to learn about him somehow.

In his eyes, Moriko noticed that there was no harsh emotion inside of them. There was no hatred. There was no anger. The only emotions that she could sense was confusion and self-preservation.

'He's…protecting himself,' Moriko realized as she continued to dodge the Superboy's attacks. She didn't know this person's name, but apparently he was just as lost and confused as she was now. And for whatever reason, he's following basic instincts of conservancy.

"Alright," Moriko grunted out as she back flipped to avoid another punch from Superboy. "Let's get you to trust me in a way you'll understand." Getting a running start, Moriko used her yōkai agility to jump over Superboy's head, and land behind him. Turning as fast as she could, Moriko wrapped her arms and legs around his body, to keep him in a vice grip.

Superboy struggled to get Moriko off.

"Submit," she softly growled into his ear to calm him down and make him stop. Superboy's struggling continued but Moriko held on to him with all the strength she had. "Submit," she ordered again more harshly.

Superboy struggle's began to lessen and he slowly started calm down a bit. Moriko relaxed her hold a little, glad that she was getting somewhere with him.

With some of her guard down, Superboy grabbed Moriko's arm to flip her off his back and forced her flat on the ground, knocking the air out of her. He quickly lowered to the ground to hold both of Moriko's hands in one of his and placed them above her head, while he used his upper body to keep her still.

On instinct, Moriko turned her face away from Superboy and closed her eyes tightly for whatever was about to happen.

Superboy slowly used his free hand to pull the scarf that was covering Moriko's face down. The glare in his eyes lessened as he eyed her face. He gradually leaned forward and lowered his mouth to Moriko's ear, "Submit?" he whispered, repeating the word back to her.

Opening her eyes, Moriko turned back to look at Superboy. 'Did he just talk?…And asked me to,' she couldn't even finish the thought as her face began to flush. Whenever an animal female asks another to submit, it's to protect herself from harm. But for a male, especially an alpha male, of any animal species asking a female to submit is asking them to surrender 'everything' she has to give.

Realizing that Superboy was waiting for an answer, Moriko forced her body to relax and slowly nodded her head, "O-okay." The corner of Superboy's mouth curved into a small smirk. She had pleased him, 'Good…Now I just got to get him off of me,' Moriko thought embarrassed.

Suddenly, a noise caught both teenager's sensitive ears. Something, or someone by the looks of it, was coming towards them.

Fast.

Superboy growled in irritation as his mood changed back to predator mode. Only this time, Moriko smelled that he was also feeling, territorial. "Oh great," she mumbled before Superboy jumped off her and ran off the ledge that they were on, landing right in front of the intruder.

"Whoa," said the speedster as he put down a girl he was carrying next to him.

Moriko looked over the cliff and recognized the speedster, "Kid Flash," she said relieved as she pulled her mask back up. At least she thought it was the speedster, since this guy was wearing black instead of his usually yellow and red. But Moriko had seen Kid Flash on the news with Flash all the time and knew he'd help her get out of this stupid desert.

Jumping off the cliff, Moriko landed right in front of the girl.

The archer grabbed an arrow and pointed it towards Moriko "Who are you?" Artemis demanded.

Moriko held up her hands in surrender, "It's alright. I'm not here to hurt anyone."

"Tell him that," yelled Kid Flash dodging Superboy's punches with his super-speed. Eventually, the speedster got back handed by the Boy of Steel and hit the side of the cliff.

Superboy turned toward Artemis, whose arrow was now aimed at him, and charged toward her. The archer fired one of her explosive arrows at him, hitting him in the chest. The explosion didn't leave a mark or slow him down.

Moriko ran in front of Artemis and faced the Boy of Steel head on, "No," she said just as Superboy's fist paused before it struck her face. "Safe," she said calmingly to him, using easy words and gently grabbed his arm with both her hands, "No threat...Safe."

Slowly, Superboy lowered his fist as he looked into Moriko's eyes. Just as slowly as before, he lowered her mask down and this time he pulled her hood off.

Moriko's breath caught from the intense gaze Superboy was giving her. His glaring was replaced with an emotion she couldn't place. But whatever it was, it was making her heart beat faster.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bomb landed right next to the young heroes. Blowing them back a few feet away from one another.

Superboy was the first to recover from the blast and he looked towards Moriko, who was now on the ground groaning in pain. Infuriated, the Boy of Steel looked towards the source of the attack.

Tanks filled with the soldiers of Bialya, were approaching the young heroes.

'Protect,' was all that was going through Superboy's mind, as he super-jumped toward the tanks and began to attack them. Using his super strength, he pulled the gun of the tank right off, forcing the soldier to come out of his protective vehicle. The other soldiers began shooting at the Boy of Steel, only to have the bullets bounce off his body. Superboy grabbed the soldier from the tank by the vest and threw him in the opposite direction of the young heroes.

Moriko groaned as she lifted herself off the ground.

Artemis stood up the same time as Moriko. "Umm, whose side is your boyfriend on?" Artemis asked dusting herself off, as she watched Superboy tear then tank in half.

Before Moriko could correct her, Kid Flash appeared next to the archer. "Let's not stick around and find out," he said a little terrified. That's when he noticed the other girl and recognized her from the news, "Hey, you're Moriko, right? Miko's sidekick."

"Protégé," Moriko corrected.

"Whatever, we got to get out of here," he said quickly while grabbing both girls under each arm and used his super-speed to get them both out of there.

After putting a few miles in between the young heroes and the tanks, Kid Flash tripped on a rock hidden in the sand and dropped both girls. The trio rolled on the ground for a few moments before coming to a stop.

"Why did you do that?" Moriko complained as she got up from the sand.

Kid Flash rubbed the back of his head because of the soreness of his fall, "Hey, I didn't see the rock, ok."

"No," growled Moriko as she put her mask and hood back on, "I mean leaving 'him' back there like that."

Artemis gave her a look as if Moriko had grown a second head, "He was gonna kill us."

"No he wasn't," Moriko defended, "He was confused and scarred. He wouldn't have hurt us."

"Not you at least," Kid Flash pointed out, referring to how the guy seemed to listen to her.

Moriko blushed slightly.

Suddenly, two killer drones came into view in the sky and began to shoot at the young heroes.

"Get down!" Kid Flash yelled, as he knocked Artemis to the ground covering her with his body. Moriko ducked down close to them.

Once the firing stopped, the teens looked up and saw the drones circling back towards them.

Artemis aimed her arrow with her bow and aimed it at one of the drones.

"_I'm on my way,"_ a voice said in the young hero's head, making Artemis miss her shot as soon as she fired.

"Did you just hear a girl talking in your head?" Artemis asked them.

Moriko nodded and pondered on why the sensation of the girl speaking in her head felt familiar.

"Girls are always on my mind," Kid Flash commented, "But they're not usually talking."

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Miss Martian flew to her teammates as fast as she could.

After awakening in the desert and meditating for a while, the Martian remembered that the group she was with was a team.

A team of young heroes.

She searched the desert for any signs of life and as soon as she sensed Superboy in danger with the tanks, she headed towards them.

Seeing the drones in sight, Miss Martian used her telekinesis to smash the drones together, destroying them. The Martian landed in front of Kid Flash, Artemis, and Moriko, who looked at her questioningly.

"Well J`onn," Kid Flash said uncertainly, "The costume is…familiar. But that bod doesn't scream, 'Manhunter'."

"You know my Uncle J`onn?" Miss Martian asked excited before more memories flowed back to her. "Hello Megan, of course you do. You're Kid Flash. Wally. And you're Artemis," she gestured to the archer.

Moriko's eyes widened, "My step-father is your uncle?" she asked using the English terms.

Miss Martian's memories of her cousin came back and she quickly hugged Moriko, "Karin! That's right, we're cousins by marriage." Moriko slowly hugged the girl back once the familiar smell hit her nose.

"Your name is Wally?" Artemis asked the speedster, once Miss Martian let Moriko go.

Kid Flash groaned that Artemis found out his real name.

"It's okay," Miss Martian said reassuringly, "We're all teammates…And friends."

"You know her?" Artemis asked Kid Flash.

The speedster shook his head, "No, I swear, Beautiful. I've never seen her before in my life."

"Wow," Moriko said surprised and disappointed by Kid Flash's quickness to impress a girl. 'Hope he didn't do that with me.'

Miss Martian sighed, "None of you have your memories either." Gun shots in the distance made the young heroes look back. "I'll explain everything. Right now, Robin and Superboy need our help."

The name struck a chord in Karin's mind. 'Superboy,' she repeated with a hint of familiarity.

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_A Few Miles Away (In the desert of course) _

Kirara silently growled at the soldiers that arrived not too long ago. Luckily they didn't see her or Aqualad in their hiding spot behind some large boulders. The neko knew that whoever the soldiers were definitely a threat.

Especially the way they were treating a strong teenaged boy they brought with them.

The soldiers had Superboy restrained but he was still causing them trouble with his super-strength.

"Control his mind," one of the soldiers ordered and begged Psimon, the villain who could control people's minds.

Psimon used his powers to will Superboy to calm down.

Superboy stopped his yelling and struggling, before he collapsed to the ground unconscious.

The soldiers grabbed the Boy of Steel, threw him into one of their army vehicles and left their location.

Kirara whined silently as she watched them go with their prisoner. Normally she would have gone after the soldiers after seeing such an act, but that would leave Aqualad unprotected. The neko looked down at the Atlantean, who had still not awoken since she arrived, and nudged him again with her nose.

Aqualad still did not awaken.

The neko sighed as she laid back down on the ground, eager for the Atlantean to wake up so they can both go and find Karin.

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_One Hour Later_

The sun had set a few minutes ago and the desert began to get colder.

The Team had been walking continually, as they listened to what Miss Martian remembered.

"So we're a team?" asked Artemis trying to understand.

"Yes," answered Miss Martian. The archer gave a small smile, hoping that she really was a part of something that was good.

Suddenly, the sounds of gun fire was shot in the distance.

"What now?" Moriko said in dread.

Kid Flash put his goggles down and used his super-speed to see what the commotion was about. Once he got there, he saw a bunch of soldiers attacking his best friend, Robin. With his speed he grabbed all of the soldier's guns before they even realized they were taken. "I'll hold those, thank you."

When the girls arrived, they helped take down the rest of the Bialyan soldiers.

The fight ended moments late.

Robin looked at the group who saved him, grateful for at least one familiar face, "KF!"

"Hey Rob," said the speedster in greeting, "Memory loss?"

Robin nodded, "Six months."

"We lost that much time?" Moriko said surprised.

"Let's compare notes," said the Boy Wonder, "After we tie them up," he gestured to the soldiers.

It took over twenty minutes to confine the soldiers and bring Robin up to speed. "So, we're a team?"

Miss Martian nodded, "The five of us and Superboy."

Robin pulled out a piece of a ripped shirt that had a red Superman symbol on it, "I'm guessing this is his."

"Yes," Miss Martian said thrilled, "Did you see him?"

"We did," said Artemis, gesturing to Kid Flash and Moriko.

Kid Flash laughed unamused, "Some teammate he was. He attacked us."

"That may be but it wasn't his fault," said Moriko strongly, "His whole body language and scent screamed of self-preservation whenever he attacked. Whatever happened to him, it was worse than memory loss."

Robin nodded understanding the situation, "One of the things I do remember is Batman ordering radio silence. Our team must work for him."

Kid Flash looked skeptical, "How do you know we don't work for my mentor?" asked Kid Flash pointing to himself. As he did, his suit changed to its known yellow and red colors. "Whoa," he said surprised, tapping himself again turning his suit black again.

"That explains a lot," said Moriko.

Artemis and Robin began tapping their suits to see if their changed, but to no avail, "We look ridiculous," complained Artemis. "And quit touching yourself," she ordered the speedster, who kept changing the color of his suit. "We need to find a way to get our memories back."

Moriko looked over to her cousin, who had a conflicted look on her face. "You can do it, can't you?" she asked Miss Martin, getting everyone's attention. The Martian nodded but still looked unwilling. "M`gann-chan, you're the only one who can help us right now…It's the only way to help Superboy."

With that being the only motivation she needed, M`gann opened everyone's mind to hers.

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_M`gann's Mind_

Moriko, Robin, Artemis, and Kid Flash were shocked by the sensation when Miss Martian pulled them into her mind. Suddenly they were facing countless images of the Martian's memory since she arrived on the team.

"This is all I can remember so far," Miss Martian said appearing in front of them, "But I need your help. With all of our broken memories formed together, they can become whole again. But you need to open your minds to mine."

Artemis was scarred of the thought, "You wanna paw threw our private thoughts?"

Miss Martian shook her head, "I have no wish to intrude, but…"

"It's the only way for us to know what happened," Moriko explained, "She'll only take what we need. Right?" she asked her cousin who nodded.

"Go right ahead," Robin said understanding.

Kid Flash shrugged then smirked, "My brains all yours. Try not to let its brilliance overwhelm you."

"Hey, why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?" asked Robin.

Moriko rolled her eyes, "Is that even a word?"

Artemis still wasn't convinced that this was a good idea. Kid Flash saw her distress and held her hand in comfort. Somehow, that gave her the courage to agree, "Just the last six months."

Miss Martian nodded and began to go through everyone's memory.

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"_The Watchtower detected an immense power surge in the Bialyan desert," said Batman in The Cave, "Spectral analysis revealed elements non-terrestrial in origin. Find out what happened at that site, and what landed there. Bialya is a rogue state ruled by the villainess Queen Bee. All communications are subject to interception. Maintain radio silence at all times. Your team land in Qurac, on Bialya's border, two klicks from the hot zone." _

_The memory shifted to The Team arriving at the desert thanks to the Bio-Ship, to Artemis and Robin scouting the site of the hot zone that was now under Bialyans control. _

"_We will set up here," said Aqualad as he ordered Superboy to lower a giant extraterrestrial scanner from his back. _

"_We'll be up and ready in no time," said Robin working on the scanner. _

_Kid Flash looked at the results, "This site's lousy with Zeta-Beam radiation."_

_Robin continued to scan, "There's non-terrestrial trace elements from that tent at the site." _

"_Whatever it is, they don't want anyone else to get their hands on it," stated Moriko. _

"_I can check it out in camouflage mode," suggested Miss Martian to Aqualad. _

_Aqualad nodded, "Go," he ordered. _

"_Be careful," Moriko warned her cousin, with Kirara meowing on her shoulder with the same urgency. _

"_Be sure to maintain telepathic contact," ordered Aqualad. _

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_Reality_

Everyone's eyes widened in horror as they all remembered a missing member of their group.

"Aqualad!" they all yelled at once.

"Where is he?" asked Moriko worried.

"What happened next?" Robin questioned, just as concerned.

Miss Martian shook her head, "I don't know. That' the last thing we all can remember."

Artemis and Kid Flash both realized how close they were and that they were holding hands, which they let go of immediately. "We landed twenty four hours ago," Kid Flash reminded them, "That's not good for a guy with gills."

"Kirara is missing too," said Moriko worried. "If she hasn't found me yet maybe she's with him."

"Can you track them?" Robin asked.

Moriko nodded before searching for their scents. It took a minute to find them, "It's faint but they're not too far."

"Then let's go," said Robin.

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_Ten Minutes Later_

Kirara heard the sound of people approaching and stood up. The neko relaxed when she recognized one of the scents as Karin's.

"Kirara," Moriko said relived as she saw her feline companion and Aqualad uninjured. "I knew we'd find you both together," she told the neko as she petted her head and ears lovingly.

Kid Flash checked on the unconscious Aqualad, "He's still breathing. That's good."

Aqualad mumbled something in Atlantean.

"Can you restore his memories?" Artemis asked the Martian.

"Not in this condition," she replied in regret.

Robin thought of a solution, "We need to rehydrate him. Call the Bio-Ship."

Miss Martian shook her head, "It's out of range."

"Kirara can get him there easily," Moriko reminded them, "But you'll have to guide her to the Bio-Ship telepathically," she told her cousin.

"I can't," argued Miss Martian, "I have to help Superboy. Six months ago he didn't exist, that's why he's acting on animal like impulses. I'm the only one who can get him out of that."

Moriko nodded knowing that she was right.

Before another word was spoken, Miss Martian grabbed her head in pain, "Superboy, he's in trouble," she said worried, before flying off to the Bialyan tents that they've taken the Boy of Steel and extraterrestrial.

"Wait," called Artemis.

"We don't know what erased our memories!" yelled Robin.

Moriko managed to maneuver Aqualad on Kirara's back, "We have other things to worry about. We got to get Aqualad to the Bio-Ship, now."

Everyone reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Since Kirara couldn't carry all of them, The Team would have to walk all the way to the Bio-Ship, while the neko carried Aqualad. Fortunately, Robin can track the ship with his wrist computer.

After a few minutes of silent walking, Moriko heard something, "Wait," she warned The Team. "Jeeps are coming from the south east direction. And some men are coming on foot."

The Team and Kirara all ran to hide by nearby some nearby boulders.

Aqualad began to speak again in Atlantean.

"Shh," Artemis soothed him, "You need to be quiet, Kaldur."

Robin turned to Moriko, "How many soldiers?"

She concentrated to find out, listening and smelling the soldiers, "Five...But we can't risk a fight with Aqualad like this."

"Not just him," said Kid Flash exhausted, "I'm way out of juice."

Artemis checked her quiver, "And I'm almost out of arrows."

Moriko turned back to Robin and found him gone, "What the hell?"

"Ugh," Kid Flash said irritated, "I hate it when he does the ninja thing…Hey Artemis, you never said why your dad would want you to kill me?"

Moriko raised a brow, "Oookay, what did I miss?"

"It's nothing," Artemis answered quickly to both of them. "I was confused by…a movie I saw the other night. Where uhh, a ninja girl whose ninja dad ordered her to kill her ninja boyfriend because he was from a rival ninja clan," she explained.

Moriko wasn't convinced by the archer's obvious lie, "What's the title of this movie?"

Artemis couldn't think of a title quick enough, "I umm can't remember."

Kid Flash looked more flattered, "So, I'm your ninja boyfriend, huh?"

Artemis glared, "We had amnesia remember? I forgot how truly annoying you were."

"Oh like you're the goddess of congeniality," argued Kid Flash.

"You both were so much more pleasant when you liked each other a few hours ago," Moriko reminded them smirking. "Actually, you looked like you more than liked each other."

"They seriously need to get a room," said Robin, startling his teammates.

Kid Flash glared at his friend, "Where did you go?"

"Just broke the radio silence," Robin said with a plotting look on his face. A few seconds later, a smoke screen bomb went off, causing the soldiers to cough hysterically. "Go," he ordered his Team.

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_Qurac September 5, 02:32 EEST _

"How is he?" Artemis asked Karin, who was looking at Kaldur's vital signs.

"He seems to be okay," she said gratefully, "Luckily, Kirara was there to watch over him."

A small Kirara meowed on Karin's shoulder, before rubbing her body against her charges cheek.

"_Hey everybody,"_ said M`gann telepathically, _"I got Superboy. He's back to normal and we're on our way."_

Without warning, Kaldur suddenly shot out of the bed, fully awake. "Who are you? And how did you get inside my head?"

Karin's eyes widened in realization,_ "M`gann-chan I think you missed someone when you brought our memories back."_ Kirara meowed interrupting, _"I mean, two people." _

"_Ah man," _Kid Flash said suddenly disappointed, "_I didn't get a souvenir from the mission."_

"_We got that covered,"_ said M`gann excited.

A few minutes later the Bio-Ship opened, M`gann and Superboy entered the ship with a giant moving object in tow.

"What is that?" Robin questioned.

"'That' is the extraterrestrial that we were sent here to find," M`gann explained before helping Kaldur and Kirara with their memories.

Karin walked up to the round like creature that was making beeping noises like crazy.

"Can I keep him?" Superboy asked the others. He had asked M`gann who said yes, but it was really a Team decision.

"Best souvenir so far," said Wally impressed.

"I'm pretty sure Batman is going to want to run tests on it," answered Robin, "So if he says yes, I guess so."

Karin put her hand on the sphere and gently stroked it, as if she were petting it. "What are you going to call him?"

Superboy thought about it for a moment, "…Sphere. His name is Sphere."

"Really?" questioned Artemis, "That's the name you're going to go with?"

"I like the name Sphere," countered Karin, "I think it suits him."

Sphere beeped happily.

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_A Few Hours Later: The Cave_

Superboy was in his room, just staring at the ceiling as he laid in bed. Contemplating what had happened to him on the mission.

He remembered everything that had happened while he was, 'out of his mind.'

From the moment he woke up in the desert, he only had one thing on his mind: stay alive.

Superboy rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed as he recollected the raw emotions that came with that instinct.

He then recalled the moment that he ran into Karin and how his instincts had changed rapidly when she was defending herself from him.

Superboy's whole body shuddered in a foreign sensation when he remembered how…excited he was when Karin 'submitted' to him and how he was driven to protect what was his.

'Wait, 'mine',' Superboy shook his head out of the thought.

Karin was his team mate.

His friend.

'I don't think of her that way,' he thought to himself. Even though he was aware that his subconscious had a different opinion on the matter, 'Or...do I?'

Then there was M`gann and their almost kiss after they defeated Psimon. In honesty, he didn't know if he tried to kiss the Martian because he liked her, or if it was just from the adrenaline of the whole ordeal.

Either way, he was confused.

'What am I doing?' Superboy asked himself.

**Well well well, what will Superboy do now? We'll have to wait and see. So what do you guys think? You love it? You hate it? You just want to strangle it? I wanna know. Next Time: The first day of school and some teen drama…or a lot.**

**Till Then My Readers **


	11. A Penny for Your Thoughts

To Be a Hero

**To my reviewers:**

**Anime hotty lover.18: I know. Poor guy. **

**Molly Grace 16: It's definitely sooner. (Points below to this chapter. *wink wink*) **

**ultima-owner: I agree. Nothing else seems to fit her. **

**chibi-Clar: Thanks, that was my favorite part when I was writing. **

**Applejax XD: Yes he does, but it'll all work out soon. **

**ThePegasusDevice: ...Patience. And I'm glad you enjoy it. **

**Kitsune's Den: Indeed he is. The best drama there is in my opinion. **

**Thank all of you for your awesome reviews. I'd also like to thank writer-in-progress-94, techi1590, chibi-Clar, Fluffydruid, fco ala, Sakura Lisel, ThePegasusDevice, and keller75863548274483for your support. **

Disclaimer: You guys know the drill. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and the Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. The only character I own is Karin/ Moriko or Hitomi (That's right. Our favorite half fox has returned). So please don't sue me.

Chapter 11: A Penny for Your Thoughts

_September 7, 06:15 EDT _

"_Recognize Moriko B05_," said the computer from the zeta tube.

Wally was munching on some pancakes that M`gann had just made in the kitchen when Karin came in the room. "Well look who's hooo-Oh Einstein," he said completely staggered, when he locked his eyes on Karin.

Kaldur, who was reading a book in the Sitting Room, and M`gann, who was cooking in the kitchen, turned to see what the speedster was talking about.

Karin's first day of school was today, and she came back wearing her school uniform. It was a white sailor short sleeved blouse with a red tie, a short dark blue skirt and dark blue knee socks with black shoes.

Wally nearly dropped his plate of food at the sight.

"Don't you dare say a word that's perverted, Wally-kun," Karin warned the speedster.

"How was your day?" M`gann asked her cousin.

Karin put her bag down on the couch and came into the kitchen, "It was alright. Hitomi-chan and Riku-kun are in the same class as me. Which is good if I have a mission during my school hours, they can take notes for me."

"Have you considered home schooling?" Kaldur asked Karin from his spot in the sitting room. "I'm sure it would be simpler for you due to the time difference between Japan and The Cave."

"I did," Karin said while accepting a plate of pancakes from M`gann. "But I just really wanted to go to an actual high school. My Kaa-san didn't get a chance to do that...so I want to do it for her too."

M`gann gave a supporting smile, "I'm sure Aunt Kagome would be proud of you, no matter what."

"I know but," Karin began to say but quickly realized that Wally hadn't stopped staring at her, or moved from his spot. "Wally-kun!" she growled while snapping her fingers to get his attention.

The speedster shook out of his trance, "I'm sorry, what?"

Karin rolled her eyes, while M`gann giggled.

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_Thirty Minutes Later: The Hanger Bay_

Karin changed into her civilian clothing and walked to the Hanger Bay to find Superboy.

The Boy of Steel was working on his motorcycle, with Sphere beeping frantically next to him.

"I think someone's jealous," she commented as she petted the sphere affectionately.

Kirara meowed loudly next to Karin's foot as she did so.

Superboy snickered at the neko, "Now whose jealous?" he joked, as he used one of his clean fingers to scratch under Kirara's chin.

Karin chuckled and sat down next to Superboy, "So, are you happy as M`gann-chan is about starting school today?"

Superboy shrugged as he continued to work on the bike, "I don't know. Wrench," he said holding his hand out.

Karin looked in the tool box next to her, "Well, you'll get to meet new people besides us. That's exciting," Karin suggested as she found the tool and handed it to him.

Superboy looked at her questioningly, "I'm not exactly a people person," he reminded her, as he went back to work.

"You're fine around me," Karin pointed out.

"That's different, you're," he paused trying to think of the right word.

Karin folded her arms, "Go on," she said in a curious and teasing aggressive tone.

Embarrassingly, Superboy could only think of one word for her, "Special."

Karin blushed slightly but tried not to take too much of the compliment, "Whatever you say," she replied.

Superboy smirked slightly as he turned to her, "It's true."

"Ready for school?" M`gann said excited, startling the two teens. The Martian entered the hanger bay with Kaldur, J`onn, Kagome and Red Tornado right behind her. "I made our lunches," she told Superboy, holing up two brown lunch bags.

"Hey," Karin said happy to see her parents. "What are you both doing here?"

"The first day of the scholastic season carries great cultural resonance," J`onn informed his step-daughter.

"Or in the eyes of the students," Kagome interrupted. "Complete and utter dread that summer vacation is over," she joked.

J`onn gave an amused smile, "We wanted to wish M`gann and Superboy both well."

Superboy noticed a certain individual was missing, "I'm guessing it's not a Kryptonian thing," he said disappointed that Superman was not here…again.

Kagome gave the Boy of Steel a supporting smile and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Its Nii-san's loss."

Kaldur looked over at M`gann, who was wearing her Miss Martian uniform, "You may want to change before you depart," he advised.

M`gann nodded and handed the lunch bags to Karin before shifting her form, "I spent hours choosing this outfit. What do you think? Can Megan Morse pass as an Earth girl?" she asked when she morphed to civilian clothes.

"Umm," Karin said in a semi supporting tone, "It's a cute outfit but," she motioned for her cousin's green skin.

The female Martian looked at her hands, "Oh right," she shape shifted her skin to look Caucasian.

Kagome looked at Superboy and remembered something important, "Oh, you need a name for you to be under in school."

"A what?" Superboy asked, not realizing he had to do this.

J`onn nodded at his wife in agreement, "I myself, chose the name John Jones," he said shape shifting to his disguised human form. "And I suggested John Smith for Red Tornado. You can be a John too."

Kagome frowned at J`onn's human form, "I like the real you better, Kobito," she told him lovingly.

J`onn smiled at this and shifted back to his other form, "As you wish, my dearest,"he said before kissing her.

"Oh geez," Karin complained covering her eyes mortified.

The married couple retreated, slightly embarrassed that they forgotten where they were.

"I think I'll pass on John," Superboy said rubbing the back of his head awkwardly after seeing the couple kiss.

"Umm, Conner has always been my favorite name," M`gann suggested hesitantly.

Karin tilted her head, as she uncovered her eyes to look at Superboy, "Conner," she repeated the name while looking at him. "Yeah, that could work."

Superboy shrugged, not really caring what his name was.

"Well don't be too excited," Kagome said sarcastically, "Some of us don't get the luxury of choosing our own names. Instead we're stuck with whatever our parents gave us."

"Yeah," Karin said snickering, "Kaa-san was named after a child's game."

Kagome gave her daughter a death glare, "Watch it, Missy...And I'm named after the word for 'star' too, thank you very much."

"A last name will also be required," Kaldur reminded the adults.

J`onn thought of the perfect thing, "Perhaps...Kent," he suggested.

"Oh," M`gann said in realization, "In memory of Doctor Fate, the late Kent Nelson."

The Martian hesitated before answering, "Of course."

Kagome gave her husband a knowing smile, _"Oh you sweet liar," _she said in his mind. The Martian smiled back at her.

Karin her head silently at her step-father, knowing that Kent was also the last name of Superman's secret identity. It made her happy to see her parents look after Superboy, or Conner now, and are trying to slowly bring him closer to the Man of Steel.

Conner thought over having the same name as the late sorcerer, "Okay, I guess it'd be an honor or something."

M`gann gave a thrilling smile, "Well, Conner Kent, you better go change your shirt before we're late for school."

"My shirt?" he looked down questioningly.

Karin tapped the Superman symbol, "That's kind of a dead giveaway of who you are."

Conner sighed in annoyance as he slipped off his shirt and turned it inside out, "Will this work?"

Both Karin and M`gann blushed at the sight of Conner's shirtless form. They had seen him in that state in the last mission but too much was going on for them to fully acknowledge it.

"I-it works for me," M`gann managed to say.

Karin only nodded vigorously still blushing as he put his the inside out shirt on.

Noticing the girls behavior, Kagome and J`onn gave each other knowing glances before looking back at the teens. "You both should go," Kagome told her niece and Conner, "It's almost seven."

The two teens nodded and headed out the door.

"Wait, shouldn't it be Conner Nelson, if I'm honoring Doctor Fate?" Conner asked while walking toward the zeta tube.

"Have a good day you two," Kagome said waving good bye.

J`onn folded his arms, "They grow up so fast."

Kagome wrapped arms around Karin, "I know...Don't you hate it."

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_Higurashi Shrine: Fifteen Minutes Later_

Kagome and J`onn both exited the zeta tube on the shrine grounds.

"You saw them too, didn't you?" Kagome asked her husband.

J`onn nodded, "Indeed. It appears the girls are both infatuated with the boy."

"His name is Conner," Kagome reminded him, "And yes."

Both of them sat on the bench under the Goshinboku. "Do you think this will complicate things? With the girls being on The Team?" he asked

"One of them being in a relationship with a team member?" Kagome asked. J`onn nodded. "Of course not. Both of them liking the same team member is a different matter." She leaned her head on her husband's shoulder and wrapped her fingers around his.

J`onn rested his chin on Kagome's head and played with her fingers, "Their will definitely be some tension, once one of the girls makes their feelings known to Conner."

"We'll deal with the situation when it comes," Kagome said reluctantly.

The Martian contemplated on the idea of tweaking both M`gann and Karin's minds towards Conner, just to avoid the situation all together.

"Don't even think about it," Kagome warned him while playfully smacking his arm.

"I don't know what you mean," J`onn said innocently.

Kagome lifted her head up to look at him, "Even right now, I can see that over protective look in your eye," she accused him. "Don't do anything drastic as altering the girl's minds. We have to trust them to be mature of the situation."

J`onn raised a brow, "Have you met our daughter?"

The miko paused a moment, not having a good come back for his question. "Okay...Trust them to not kill each other over the situation," she rephrased.

"Have you met our daughter?" J`onn repeated, this time teasingly.

Kagome chuckled and placed her hand on her husband's cheek, "Let's just see how things go. Preferably without any psychic interference on your part," she said in warning on the last part.

J`onn smirked, _"You know me too well,"_ he said in her mind.

"_Well we're married, so I certainly hope that's true," _she told him._ "That and I love you with all my heart."_

"_And I you, my dearest,"_ J`onn replied as he leaned in and kissed her.

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_The Cave: A Few Hours Later _

"I'm a Bumblebee," M`gann cheered, once she returned from school.

Karin was in the Sitting Room, and looked up from her school book she was reading on the couch, "Uhh a what?"

"I mean a Bumblebee cheerleader," the Martian verified, "I made my schools cheerleading squad."

"Wow, a cheerleader" Karin said impressed, "That's very…Earthy."

"I know," the M`gann squealed excited.

Conner gave Karin a smile and a nod hello. She continued to talk to M`gann, and didn't acknowledge his return. He was surprised by this and a little hurt that she didn't say 'welcome back' or 'how was your day' or anything like he thought she would. "I'll be working on my bike," he told the girls as he walked out of the room.

The Boy of Steel was planning to make a beeline towards the Hanger Bay, but someone walked out of a nearby room and blocked his path.

"Oh hey Conner. Welcome back," the person said while yawning.

Conner raised a brow, looked behind him, then looked back to the person in front of him. "Karin?" he asked in confusion.

"Uhh, yeah" she replied looking at him curiously on why he was so surprised to see her. "How was your day?"

Conner looked back behind him and ran back to the Sitting Room and kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Karin asked running after him with a small Kirara following behind her.

Once the two of them reached the kitchen, the two heroes and neko saw M`gann and another Karin talking in the kitchen.

The Martian looked up and saw Conner and her cousin. "Karin?" she identified before looking to the 'Karin' next to her, "But who is?"

The Karin in the kitchen awkwardly waved at Conner and the Karin standing next to him, "Guess I'm busted, now."

The Karin next to Conner took one sniff and growled in frustration, "Really?" she asked the imposter, not at all threatened by her presence. "How the hell did you get passed the security check in the zeta tubes?"

Kirara ran to the fake Karin in the kitchen and jumped on her shoulder, rubbing her side against her cheek in greeting. The fake Karin looked guiltily at the real Karin, as she returned Kirara's affection. "I just transformed into you and it let me in no questions asked. You guys should really look into changing that, by the way."

The real Karin laughed unamused, "Right, I'll pass that note to Batman."

"What is going on?" Conner asked frustrated on why there were two Karin's, and why the Karin, who he assumed was the real one, was so calm about that fact.

"Isn't it obvious yet?" stated the fake Karin, before she used her magic to transformed back to her true form.

"Hitomi!" M`gann identified and greeted the kitsune hanyou in a hug, "Oh, I missed you."

Hitomi hugged the Martian back, "You too M`gann-chan."

"What is she doing here?" Conner asked Karin.

"I don't know," she answered just as curious as why her niece decided to sneak into The Cave. "Why are you here Hitomi-chan?"

The hanyou looked to her aunt with an anxious look on her face, "It's that time again."

It took a few moments for Karin to understand her meaning, "Oh I see. Nii-san isn't home?"

Hitomi shook her head, "No, he and Kaa-san went to some benefit thing that Ojii-sama is holding and they won't be back until…after."

"Oh, yeah," Karin said remembering Sesshōmaru's business event, "My Kaa-san mentioned that."

"Can I stay here? It's only till it's over and I won't cause any trouble, I promise. Please," Hitomi begged, in a way that made the Martian and Boy of Steel concerned. "I just…I can't be by myself during."

"I know," Karin interrupted understanding, "Umm, I guess if it's just for a little while."

Hitomi ran to her aunt with lightning speed, "Arigatou Kar-chan!" she said in gratitude while giving Karin a tight hug.

"Okay," Karin barley managed to say in the kitsuen's strong embrace, "Losing o-oxygen." The hanyou let go and gave an apologetic look.

M`gann looked concerned, "Is everything alright?" she questioned both of the girls.

"What are you both talking about?" asked Conner.

Before anyone could answer the zeta tube announced a new arrival, _"Recognized: Aqualad B02." _

"Let's wait for Kaldur-san, and then we'll explain," said Karin.

It took a few minutes for Kaldur to make his entrance. "Hitomi?" he questioned.

"Hello Kaldur-kun," Hitomi greeted the Atlantean. "It's nice to see you again."

Kaldur nodded, "You as well. But may I ask what you are doing here?"

A sudden pulse within Hitomi made her falter in standing. "You're about to find out," she told the Atlantean before her transformation began. Slowly her tail retreated into her body and her ears became less pointy. She looked at her nails as they retracted into a more normal finger nail size.

"Okay, you transformed with her magic," said Conner confused and didn't see what the big deal was.

Karin nudged his arm at his thoughtlessness, "It wasn't voluntary," she said harshly.

Hitomi wrapped her arms around herself, "For hanyous, there's a time when our yōkai blood becomes dormant and we become mortal."

"That's why your transformation looked so different," M`gann realized the alteration in Hitomi's magic.

"And it's why I'm here," said Hitomi.

Conner was still unconvinced, "So, what's the problem?"

The hanyou turned human tried to think of the best way to explain, "Okay, how would you feel if you lost your super strength?" she asked Conner, "Or your Martian powers?" she asked M`gann before turning to Kaldur, "Or your magic?"

M`gann immediately knew the answer, "Scared."

"Vulnerable," Kaldur said finally understanding Hitomi's uneasiness.

Conner couldn't come up with the words to express how that would be like for him.

"When I'm human...I can't help but feel like if I step outside the door something bad will happen to me," Hitomi admitted. "Normally, I stay close to my Tou-san, but if he's not available."

"She goes to my house," Karin finished, "But since I don't live there and my parents are gone."

"Can I stay?" Hitomi asked Kaldur, interrupting her aunt. She knew that he was the leader and he had the final word, "…Onegai."

Kaldur thought about the situation for a few moments before he finally nodded, "Of course."

Just like with Karin, Hitomi hugged the Atlantean tightly, "Thank you so much! You have no idea how much I appreciate this!"

"I think he does," Karin chuckled seeing the look of surprise on Kaldur's face.

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_One Hour Later _

After spending some time with her aunt, M`gann and Conner. Hitomi began to explore The Cave.

It really was incredible.

The Cave had everything a person could need in being a hero. The hanyou couldn't help but be a little jealous of it all. 'I wonder if they'd let me in someday,' she wondered as she wandered into the library of The Cave.

Kaldur was there, sitting in one of the chairs, looking very deep in thought before acknowledging the hanyou's presence "Hello, Hitomi."

"Kaldur-kun," she said smiling in surprise, "So, this is where you ran off to so fast. I guess I look worse in this form more than I thought."

The Atlantean shook his head vigorously, "No, nothing of the sort I."

"I'm joking," Hitomi interrupted while laughing. Kaldur couldn't help but smirk. "Is something bothering you?" she asked him sitting in the coffee table in front of him, "You seem troubled."

Kaldur lowered his gaze down. He had recently come back from aiding Red Arrow with a mission. After it was over, the archer had informed him that there could be a possible mole in The Team. The source of the information was definitely not one that Kaldur trusted, but Red Arrow seemed convinced. The Atlantean was thinking about if he should mention this information to Batman and the League.

"It seems I appear that way every time we meet," Kaldur pointed out, avoiding Hitomi's question completely.

"Can't help it," she admitted, "It's a fox thing. We're more aware of people's emotions than most."

"But you are mortal at the moment," he gestured to her form.

Hitomi chuckled, "Touché. Well, I guess it's just me then."

"It would seem so," Kaldur agreed, "But why the interest in me?" he asked with a hint of interrogation in his voice

She heard it in is tone and her smile faltered, "Cause I was concerned…Why are you so guarded today?" she asked him. The Atlantean turned away again, "Did something happen?"

"I cannot say," he replied coldly.

Hitomi's smile vanished, "I see…Well, whatever happened I hope it is dealt with soon. Because I would like to see the Kaldur-kun I met back in Tokyo Bay."

Kaldur looked back at her, realizing that he was letting his troubles surface and taking his worries out on her, "My apologizes for my rudeness."

Hitomi hesitantly reached her hand and placed it over his, "I'm guessing it's not easy," she said in sympathy, "Being the leader, I mean."

"No," he admitted. There were moments in missions when he did questions his skills as a leader. However, he dare not voice these feelings to anyone. 'Why is it easy to express them to her?' he wondered looking at Hitomi.

The human hanyou gave him a supporting squeeze of his hand, "Well, everyone on The Team still has a pulse, so you must be doing something right. And from what Kar-chan has told me, you're a natural leader."

Kaldur smiled, "I appreciate hearing that."

Hitomi smiled back, "Your welcome. Umm, M`gann-chan told me about how nice the beach was here, would you come with me?"

"Hitomi, nothing is going to harm you here," he assured her.

She giggled, "I know that. I'm asking you to join me because I...I like spending time with you."

Kaldur's eyes softened and he eventually nodded yes.

As they both headed out the door, neither of them realized that their hands were still intertwined.

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_Karin's Room_

"Can I tell you a secret?" asked M`gann in her cousins room. Karin had been teaching her the art of one of the most common Earth girl ways of bonding: Giving each other manicures.

"I don't know, can you?" Karin teased paining her cousins Martian nails a red color.

M`gann giggled, "Okay, I walked into that. But can I?" Karin nodded as she worked on her cousin's next hand. "I like Conner."

Karin paused mid brush, surprised by the declaration.

Kirara raised her head from her spot on a pillow and looked at her charge, sensing her discomfort.

Karin brushed off her shock and continued her work, "Well, it's pretty obvious that you have a crush on him."

"No," M`gann shook her head, "I mean I really 'like' him. And I think he might like me too."

This made Karin look at her, "What makes you say that?"

M`gann began blushing, "Well when we were in Bialya…we almost kissed."

Karin's breath caught, "Re-really?" she said stuttering. She didn't know why but what M`gann was telling her…it hurt.

The Martian nodded, "Yeah. And today at school after I got initiated into the cheerleading squad, he carried my books for me. I mean, I was soaking wet at the time because the team poured a bucket of water on me and he didn't want me to get them wet. But, he offered like a guy would for a girl he liked in an old T.V sitcom."

"I don't know if that last one qualifies as a sign," Karin said skeptical.

M`gann frowned, "So, you don't think he likes me?"

Karin wanted to say 'no he doesn't' so badly for reasons she didn't fully understand. But instead she said, "I don't know. And maybe, Conner doesn't know that himself yet either," Karin continued with a little hope in her voice. "So, wait for him make the first move."

"He makes the first move," M`gann repeated while nodding, "Got it…Was it Riku who made the first move with you?"

"Yes," Karin answered as she tried to focus on doing her cousin's nails and not on her feelings.

"What happened? What did he do?" M`gann asked interested.

Karin finished the last nail, "Blow," she ordered for her cousin to blow on her nails to help the polish dry faster. Kirara walked up to her charge and rubbed against her arm. Karin automatically rubbed her ears, "We were twelve. And we were at his house playing a video game. I had just won and I noticed how quiet he was all day. I asked what was wrong and he said he didn't want to be friends anymore."

"What?" the Martian said surprised, "Why would he say that?"

"That's what I thought too," Karin admitted, "I thought I did something wrong. But before I could ask him why, he kissed me. It was so quick that I didn't have time to get my thoughts together when he pulled back. Then he said, 'I want to be more than that.'"

M`gann got a little teary eyed, "Wow. Was that your first kiss?" Karin nodded. "I hope I get a first kiss that memorable."

Karin gave a small smile, "I'm sure it will be."

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It was another half hour until M`gann left to go get dinner started.

Karin ran off to the Gym with Kirara in tow. She was hitting a punching bag repeatedly. Letting all of her confusion and frustration come out in every punch.

She continued hitting it until eventually she broke the bag in half. Finally allowing her body to be spent, Karin lowered herself to the floor. 'Why am I acting like this?' she wondered to herself.

Kirara hopped on Karin's shoulder and licked her cheek, as if asking what was wrong.

"Do you think I like him too?" she asked Kirara.

The neko tilted her head to the side, as if asking 'who.'

"Conner-kun," Karin answered. "Is that why I'm upset about M`gann-chan liking him?" she voiced in a form of a question. She didn't know why she was asking, since the answer was getting more and more obvious.

Just like M`gann, Karin had noticed that she may have feelings for Conner after the Bialya mission. When he had lost his memory and didn't even know her, he still treated her better than any of their friends. He acted like he wanted to protect her from getting her hurt.

And the way Conner looked at her…Karin's heart couldn't stop racing.

"It's true…I do care about him," she whispered answering her own question. She didn't even know when it happened but she had fallen for the Boy of Steel.

In their few short months together, Karin and Conner both had a 'bond' of sorts. They teased each other constantly just to try and make the other laugh. Whenever they sparred together, Conner would help improve Karin's skills and vice versa. He'd talk to her about his troubles, something he couldn't do with Black Canary yet. Plus, when Karin and Conner did something together, like watch static on the television, they would sit extremely close to one another, almost cuddling, as if it were the most naturally thing in the world.

And every time they were in the field, Karin knew that no matter what happened, she could trust Conner to watch her back, and she'd do the same for him.

Karin bowed her head and cursed herself for not realizing her feelings sooner. If given the chance, she would tell Conner in a heartbeat of how she felt towards him. It didn't matter if he didn't feel the same way because at least he would know.

But it doesn't' matter anymore...M`gann likes Conner.

If M`gann had just been some random girl at school who she'd probably never see again after graduation, Karin wouldn't feel so guilty having feelings for M`gann was more than just Karin's family member or team mate...She was one of her best friends.

Karin fell backward to on the floor to lay on her back, and stared at the ceiling.

Kirara jumped on Karin's stomach and laid there and stared at her charges face. If the neko had the ability to speak, she would tell her how everything will be fine in the end.

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Conner stood against the wall. His hands were in his pockets, as he listened to Karin leave the Gym amazed that she hadn't sensed him when he came to the room to train.

Karin looked upset and he didn't want to disturb her, but he didn't want to leave her in case she needed someone to talk to.

So Conner stayed hidden…and had heard everything.

'She likes me,' his heartbeat increased at the thought.

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_The Cave September 14, 09:15 EDT_

Moriko, Aqualad, Miss Martaian and Superboy looked at the holographic images in front of them in the Mission Room. All of the images were of well-known ice villains; Mr. Freeze, Icicle Jr., Killer Frost, and Captain Cold.

"This past Fourth of July, four ice villains staged simultaneous attacks," Batman informed the young heroes. "They were all easily apprehended…too easy."

"The day we went to the Hall of Justice," Aqualad remembered.

Batman nodded, "Cold and Frost were immediately sent to Belle Reve penitentiary, the federal prison designed to house super-criminals. The seventeen year old Icicle Jr. was sent to a juvenile facility and Mr. Freeze, was sent to his cell in Arkham Asylum. However, Freeze petitioned the court to be declared legally sane and Junior sued to be tried as an adult. As a result, both await transport to Belle Reve, which seems to have been their true goal."

"Four ice villains 'wanting' to be put in a prison for super powered villains, isn't a good sign. Their planning something, but we don't know what it is yet," Miko told the Team, standing next to Martian Manhunter and Red Tornado.

"That's why we'll be sending Superboy and Miss Martian to find out what it is," Batman explained.

Aqualad looked at the Dark Knight in question, "Who inside the prison will know their true identities?"

"No one," he answered.

"What?" Moriko said, looking at her cousin and the Boy of Steel concerned for their safety in a facility full of super villains.

"We can't be certain the prison staff isn't compromised," Batman explained.

Moriko shook her head, "And if something happens to either of them on the inside?"

"You, along with Aqualad and Red Tornado, will be on standby in the Bio-Ship," Batman clarified.

Superboy shrugged, "So what, are we going in as new super villains?"

Batman shook his head, "Not quite."

Miko held up a store bag she had been holding, "You're going to need this," she told Superboy handing it to him.

Superboy looked inside the bag at its contents: blond hair dye and styling gel, "You've got to be kidding me," he complained.

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_Outside of Belle Reve September 16, 21:58_

The Terror Twins, a pair of super-strength young rogues were apprehended by the League, and were sentenced to Belle Reve. Superboy and Miss Martian changed their appearances to look like the twins, and were now on their way to the federal prison to see what the ice villains were up to.

"There in," said Aqualad from the Bio-Ship outside the gates of Belle Reve. He just saw the heavily guarded truck that held their teammates, Icicle Jr., and Mr. Freeze.

Moriko let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, "Now we wait?"

"Now we wait," repeated Aqualad.

Moriko passed back and forth a few times, praying that Conner and M`gann will be safe from harm.

The first twenty four hours were the worst of the wait. No activity was going on inside. At least nothing worth mentioning.

Moriko started to get anxious.

"_Miss Martian to Aqualad,"_ the Martian said telepathically. _"We have new information." _

"_Link us up,"_ the Atlantean ordered. Miss Martian concentrated to establish links between The Team. _"What did you learn?"_

"_I overheard the ice villains talking,"_ said Superboy. _"I don't know how yet but they plan to escape…with everyone."_

"_Everyone?"_ Moriko repeated, _"As in every super villain in Belle Reve?" _

"_The very same,"_ said Superboy. _"And it's happening soon."_

Aqualad nodded, _"It's time to pull you both out and call in the League."_

"_We can't,"_ Miss Martian protested, _"Icicle Senior is their leader and he'd only postpone their plan if we intervene now. We need to learn how they're escaping or they'll just try it again."_

Moriko growled, _"I hate to admit it but she's right." _

Aqualad took a deep breath, _"Agreed, we'll remain on alert." _

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_A Few Hours Later_

Superboy carried his tray of food to the table, where Icicle Jr was sitting. They were cellmates and he'd learned a lot of the rouges plans because of him. "So, how come you're not sitting with your Pa?" Superboy questioned in a southern accent like Tommy Terror's, as he gestured to Icicle Senior sitting with all the other ice villains.

Icicle Jr half laughed, "Cause my 'Pa' is a jerk. And only wants me around when he needs me. But I try not to live or die over getting his approval, ya know?"

Superboy turned his gaze, 'I know how that feels,' he thought referring to Superman. He'd already had enough of his fill on the subject when he went into a psychology session with Hugo Strange and Miss Martian. The Martian talked in code about Superboy's feelings towards his 'father' and he ended up snapping at her because of it.

The Boy of Steel felt badly afterwards but Miss Martian didn't understand that he'll talk about his issues when he's ready, not before. And if he did, Superboy didn't want answers or reasoning, he just needed to vent.

"So, tell me about your sister," said Icicle Jr. bringing Superboy out his thoughts.

"What?" he questioned before acting annoyed, "Oh, she's a real pain. Why?"

Icicle looked at the Boy of Steel as if the answer was obvious, "Dude, she's hot…Well, you can't see it because you're family. But I look at her and think: 'That chick gets me.' And really, that's all you need." Superboy raised a brow, "Someone who sees the psycho that you are and likes you anyway."

Superboy thought of the reasoning and realized how much it actually made sense. Again, he thought about times he liked to vent. He did with Moriko sometimes, like the day after he spoke with Superman in Metropolis. Moriko didn't give her views or advice on the matter like the others did on The Team. Instead, she grabbed his hand and gave a caring smile after his rant.

A friendly ear and a small comfort was all he needed to calm down.

And Moriko knew it, because she knows him better than anyone.

'She sees the angry person that I am...and likes me anyway,' the Boy of Steel said in an epiphany. All the confusion he'd been feeling recently had suddenly vanished, because now he knew the truth.

He liked Karin.

"Ye-eah," Superboy told his cell mate excited, "You're like an evil genius."

"Word," replied Junior giving Superboy a fist pump.

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_Bio-Ship Forty Five Minutes Later_

The alarms of Belle Reve began to sound and all the entrances were beginning to be put on lock down.

"What's going on?" Moriko yelled.

"_Aqualad to Miss Martian, what's the status…Miss Martian?"_ Aqualad tried to call to the telepath. "She's not responding."

Moriko eyes widened in fear, "I'm going in."

"Negative," said Red Tornado, "Belle Reve is a fortress that can hold even Superman. If we do break in, we'll be allowing the chance for the villains to escape."

"But the others," Moriko began to protest.

"Might get their cover blown if we interfere," Aqualad gritted through his teeth, not liking the situation any more than she did.

Moriko wanted to rip her hair out of frustration, 'You both better be safe,' she prayed.

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_Twenty Minutes Later_

Miss Martian couldn't believe it.

That witch froze her.

During the break out, her cover was blown and Killer Frost used her powers to freeze her body in a block of ice, trying to kill her. The ice villain would have succeeded, if Miss Martian wasn't...you know, a Martian. Her home planet was much colder than, being frozen in a block of ice.

Concentrating, Miss Martian broke the ice with her psychic powers.

"M`gann," Superboy said so relieved that hugged her. When he had seen her frozen in the block of ice, he'd been so panicked about losing a friend. It was lucky that he was able to manipulate Icicle Jr. into helping get into the woman's wing of Belle Reve.

"I'm okay," the Martian assured him, hugging the Boy of Steel back before she recalled what her cousin had told her. 'Let him make the first move,' she repeated, 'Well this is a move if I ever saw one,' she reasoned.

Without warning, M`gann pulled back from the embrace and pulled Superboy into a kiss.

The Boy of Steel's eyes widened in surprise. He'd never been kissed in his few short months of living. When M`gann pulled back, she looked at Superboy sweetly while he looked back at her blankly.

"Dude, that's your sister," Icicle Jr. said horrified. Slowly, the Martian changed from Tuppy Terror back to her Miss Martian form. "Wha? But?...Is she?...Are you?" he began to stutter as realization hit him. "Oh, dad's gonna kill me!"

***Tsk Tsk* Poor Superboy.** **I told you, lots of teen drama in this chapter. On the up side, Hitomi made a friendly appearance. Anyway, what do you all think? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Next time: The attack of the Red's and Karin sees M`gann kissing Conner…oh dear.**

**Till Then My Reader. **


	12. This Can't Be Happening

To Be a Hero

**Special shout outs to: chibi-no-baka, SailorJupiter001, Inu-Hanyou2016, Molly Grace 16, chibi-Clar, Applejax XD, Kitsune's Den, Yankeegirl01, Anime hotty lover.18, Mistress Freya, keller75863548274483, Angel4EverLostInLife, ice0224, and doggy bye for your awesome support and reviews. I hope I deliver on this chapter for all of you. **

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko. Young Justice is owned by Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. And I own Karin/Moriko. Please no sue. Okay? Alright.

Chapter 12: This Can't Be Happening

_Mount Justice September 22, 18:30 EDT_

"Have you seen Conner?" M`gann asked Karin, who was in the Sitting Room doing homework.

Karin shrugged, "He's probably working on his bike with Sphere."

"Thanks," she said and flew off towards the hanger bay.

The Martian didn't understand why Conner had been avoiding her since the Belle Reve mission. 'The day we kissed,' she thought more favorably of what happened that day. Sure M`gann had kissed him but it was Conner who made the first move. 'So why is he avoiding me?' she questioned.

"Conner," M`gann called for him once she reached the Hanger Bay. He turned to her once he heard his name, "Umm, how's it going?"

The Boy of Steel avoided her gaze and shrugged as if nothing was wrong. In reality, he was trying to figure out how to tell M`gann about how he only saw her as a friend.

"Could-Could we talk?" M`gann asked him nervously.

Conner sighed and stood up from the ground, "Yeah."

M`gann took a deep breath, "Why have you been avoiding me?"

It was the very question that Conner was afraid she'd ask, "I needed some time to think."

"Oh…Do you not like me?" M`gann questioned with a tiny bit of fear of rejection.

Conner shook his head, "No, I do as."

"Really?" she said interrupting him in relief, "That's great. I thought that, you know, I was too forward back at Belle Reve. But you like me too."

"M`gann, that's not," Conner tried to explain but M`gann, once again, surprised him by pressing her lips against his.

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Karin sighed with relief as she exited the room in her Moriko uniform. She'd finally finished her homework and could go on with the rest of her day without any worries. Kirara was riding on her usual spot on her charges shoulder.

She headed towards the bay hanger to see if Conner wanted to do some sparring.

"Hey, Conner do you," she began to say before freezing at what she saw in front of her.

M`gann and Conner kissing.

Both teens looked over at Moriko, startled by her sudden appearance.

M`gann began to blush and noticed how her cousin looked more hurt then surprised. 'Why does she look like that?' she wondered.

Conner saw the look too and knew that the situation was bad, "Karin," he said, wanting to explain what happened.

Moriko shook her head, not wanting to believe what was happening, and was about to make a break for it down the hall way when she ran into a road block.

"Whoa," Kid Flash said smiling as he caught Moriko's shoulders, his right hand also held a sandwich he just made, "I know you can't resist me but there's no need to be so hasty, Pretty Eyes."

It took every bit of self-control that Moriko had not to express how upset she was. Instead she put on a fake smile, "Sh-shut up."

Kid Flash smirked and walked towards his other two friends, "You guys do work on this bike a lot. Obviously, you need the Wall-man's expert help."

M`gann blush slowly subsided and nodded, "Sure."

Conner didn't comment. He only kept looking at Moriko, who was intentionally avoiding his gaze.

"Hey Karin," Kid Flash called, "Come on and join us."

Not coming up with an excuse fast enough, Moriko reluctantly went over to help. Kirara rubbed her head against her charges cheek, as if to say to 'keep your chin up'.

For the next few minutes it was complete and awkward silence amongst the majority of the group.

Except for Kid Flash, who would ask for an occasional tool, "Torque wrench," the speedster asked. M`gann handed to him with her telekinesis, "Thank you, Green Cheeks."

Moriko smirked slightly. Kid Flash being here made her feel less awkward around Conner and M`gann, "Your nicknames are getting more ridiculous by the day…Hey, why do you give M`gann-chan so many, and I'm stuck with Pretty Eyes?"

"Don't be jealous," Kid Flash smirked at Moriko, "Pretty Eyes just suits you better."

Conner silently disagreed with the comment. Karin's eyes were more than pretty, 'They're beautiful.'

Aqualad came into the hanger bay after a difficult discussion with Red Tornado, "Hello my friends…I umm have been meaning to ask, have there been any problems juggling schoolwork with your responsibilities here?"

Moriko gave him a questioning look, "Not particularly."

"No," Conner said simply.

Kid Flash shook his head, "Juggling is just one of my many talents," he praised himself. "Socket wrench."

M`gann passed the tool telepathically, "Cheerleading practice has presented a challenge," she voiced her concerns. "But my first loyalty is always to The Team…This team, not the Bumblebees."

Aqualad nodded, "Artemis starts school today. Do you think she will have trouble maintaining her loyalties?"

Moriko's sad emotions subsided and changed to curiosity when Aqualad used a specific word. 'What does he mean by loyalty?'

Kid Flash got up and admired his handy work on the bike, "Nah, she'll manage all right. I mean how much more hostile and annoying can."

Suddenly, an explosion in the Hanger Bay caused everyone in the room to fly back ward.

Moriko hit the wall with a thud before landing the ground. Kirara recovered and hissed before transforming to her bigger form to protect her charge.

Suddenly, an explosion from the water around the Hanger Bay created a tidal wave, causing The Team to get washed away into another part of the room.

Everyone recovered as fast as they could trying to catch a glimpse of their surprise attacker.

It was a man wearing read armor just like Red Tornado's. Only with a much more sinister yellow 'T' on his chest.

"What the hell?" Moriko mumbled before something hot stuck her from behind. She turned and saw a fire ball being made by another robot similar to Red Tornado, only this one was more feminine looking. Moriko sighed in relief that she was wearing the fur of the fire rat, or else she would have been severely burned.

"Karin," Superboy yelled afraid for her, before he charged at the feminine robot. The male robot struck the Boy of Steel with another tidal wave attack.

Together, the two robots used their powers over water and fire, to create metal bindings around Kid Flash, Superboy, Moriko and Kirara.

Moriko tried to break free, but the metal was too strong for her.

"Damn it," Kid Flash cursed unable to break free either.

Aqualad and Miss Martian, attempted to free their friends, only to be trapped by the feminine robot, who created a cage of fire around the heat submissive Team members. Miss Martian immediately began to tremble and fell to her knees from the extreme high temperature. Aqualad knelt beside the Martian with worry before he glared at the enemy with hatred.

All of The Team members were trying to find a way to escape, but were failing miserably.

"Any luck," Kid Flash asked both of his stronger teammates.

Moriko continued to struggle, "No…Can you transform?" she asked the neko, who only roared in frustration that she couldn't move.

Superboy gritted his teeth in anger as he tried to continue to get free.

"_Attention Robin. Attention, Artemis,"_ announced the male robot who sounded much like Red Tornado. _"You have exactly 10 minutes to surrender or the lives of your teammates will be extinguished." _

The Team member's eyes widened fear.

The moment the threat was initiated the robots returned to them. The feminine robot, Red Inferno, slowly began to shrink the cage of fire. Aqualad was sweating immensely, and M`gann already passed out from the extreme heat.

The male robot, Red Torpedo, raised the tides to the metal bound heroes, making the water slowly begin to rise.

'He's going to drown us,' Moriko realized as the water reached her ankles. This made her, Superboy, Kid Flash and Kirara struggle harder to get out.

"_Nine minutes and forty five seconds,"_ Red Torpedo announced.

"We don't need a count down," Moriko growled at the robot during her struggle.

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_A Few Minutes Later_

Robin and Artemis had been dodging both robots left and right and barley had a chance to collect themselves. Finally they got to the hanger bay and surfaced out of the water, after dodging Red Torpedo's assault.

"Look out!" Kid Flash warned the Boy Wonder and archer as a fire ball was thrown by Red Inferno.

Both Robin and Artemis dived back under water to dodge the attack and resurfaced closer to their team mates.

"Are you guys okay?" Robin asked concerned.

"Forget us," yelled Superboy, "Help them," he gestured to Aqualad and M`gann above them, knowing that they were weak against fire.

Moriko looked up horrified, "Is M`gann-chan alright?" she yelled to Aqualad.

"She's unconscious," the Atlantean said weakly. "I fear she…we cannot survive much longer."

Moriko growled, "M`gann-chan! If you die, I swear to Kami I'll never speak to you again!" she threatened with worry.

Miss Martian groaned a little as if she wanted to answer her cousin.

Red Inferno appeared again and used her power over fire to attack Robin and Artemis once more.

After Robin shot a few shuriken at the hunk of metal, one almost hitting Kid Flash, they managed to escape.

"_Six minutes,"_ announced Red Torpedo.

"_Robin to Kid Flash,"_ the shuriken next to Kid Flash began to beep.

The speedster smiled, of course Robin had a plan.

"_We need to create an electromagnetic pulse to shut down those machines. Is it doable?" _asked Robin.

"Totally," whispered Kid Flash.

"_Five Minutes,"_ announced Red Torpedo.

"Hurry," Kid Flash harshly whispered into the shuriken. "Go to the Med Lab and head to the X-ray machine. Find a small vacuum tube called a vircator that converts high-energy pulses. You'll need to reprogram the unit's microwave conversion from x-rays to EMPs with a cascading energy vector directed outward."

Moriko looked at the speedster impressed, "Note to self: Pay more attention in science class."

"You'll need to hook it up to the generator," Kid Flash informed his best friend on what they needed to do.

The Boy Wonder groaned, _"Which is in the Hanger Bay with you guys."_

"And the twin Reds," Superboy gritted.

"_We'll need a distraction,"_ said Robin.

Kid Flash smirked, "I'm on it…Hey Red Tomato!" he yelled to Red Torpedo. "Who's your girlfriend? Red Onion?"

Moriko gave the speedster a 'are you kidding me' look, "Really?"

"Hey, I'm under pressure, okay," he mumbled.

Superboy tried to continue the distraction, "Yeah, and by the way, worst death trap ever. We can escape any time we want."

Moriko fake laugh, "Yeah, a baby can come up with a better plan than this."

The trio continued on insulting the robots, allowing enough time for Robin to sneak into the Hanger Bay and plug in the vircator into the generator. The Boy Wonder tried rerouting the power, only to find that the circuit was incomplete. "Damn it," he said under his breath, "I need a piece of metal or something equally conductible."

"Robin! Look out!" Artemis yelled as Red Torpedo surrounded The Boy Wonder in the tide.

"No!" Moriko said horrified for their youngest member.

Red Torpedo manipulated the water to keep Robin trapped inside a water bubble. The Boy Wonder struggled as he tried grasp for air.

Red Inferno attacked Artemis with her flams, but the archer managed to escape.

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"_One minute,"_ announced Red Torpedo.

Suddenly, the elevator of the hanger opened and showed Artemis. "I surrender," she said holding out her bow, "Stop the clock."

The water was now at chin level of trio of metal bound heroes and neko. Then suddenly it quickly rose over their heads.

Before anyone could blink. Artemis sprang into action and shot her last arrow at the generator. Hitting the exact spot needed to create complete the unit.

Both Red's short circuited and collapsed to the ground.

The cage of fire disappeared and the water descended back to its normal state.

Superboy, Kid Flash, Moriko and Kirara were all gasping for air.

"Y-You okay?" Superboy asked Moriko concerned.

She coughed before answering, "Yeah." He sighed in relief. "Kaldur-san! Is M`gann-chan alright?"

Aqualad rose and checked The Martians pulse, "She lives."

Moriko sighed in relief, "Thank Kami."

"Artemis check Robin," Aqualad weakly ordered, as he looked at the unconscious Boy Wonder.

The archer knelt next to him in a panic. She nudged Robin, which got him coughing out water. "He's okay," she said relieved.

After Robin recovered, Artemis grabbed an energy power drill from one of the tool closets, wanting to free the still trapped team members. 'Crap,' the archer said realizing one slight problem.

"Will you quit playing with that thing and cut us free," Kid Flash complained.

Artemis glared at him, "It's dead stupid! The EMP shuts down all machines."

Kid Flash glared, "Don't call me stupid you."

"Will you two stop flirting and find a way to get us out," Moriko complained getting their attention.

Suddenly, the sound of raging winds hit the young heroes ears as Red Tornado came into the hanger bay, "What has occurred here?" he questioned.

"We had a visit from your family," Robin gestured to the two decommissioned robots.

Red Tornado walked over to his 'siblings', "I was not aware I had relations."

"Where the hell have you been?" asked Superboy.

"Monitor duty at the Watchtower," answered Tornado, "I came as soon as I learned that communication with The Cave had been shut off. Your zeta-tubes were offline, so I went to Provenience and proceeded from there."

The sounds of beeping came from the wall, and Sphere emerged from his spot of the stone wall.

At the same time, the power drill Artemis held turned on. "Oh no," she said horrified.

The EMP has worn off.

Before anyone could comprehend what that could mean. Red Tornado turned to The Team after coming into contact with his 'siblings.' His eyes that were usually black, were now a bright red…just like his 'siblings.'

"Oh Kami," Moriko managed to say before Red Tornado used his powers to create a cyclone to suck the air out of the hanger.

The Team passed out form lack of oxygen.

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_Twenty Minutes Later _

"Kar-chan," Miko begged as she patted her daughter's face, "Kar-chan, wake up."

Very slowly Moriko opened her eyes. "Wh-what happened?"

"He's gone," Robin said standing next to Batman. Many League members were here. All of them were concerned after they lost contact with The Cave. Once they got the zeta-tube working, they came and found The Team passed out and three of them plus Kirara trapped.

"Who's gone?" she asked.

"Red Tornado," he answered. "Him and the other Reds are gone."

It took a while to get Superboy, Kid Flash, Moriko and Kirara out of the metal bindings. Once they were free, The Team and the League went into the mission room to debrief what had happened.

Everyone couldn't believe it to be true...Red Tornado betrayed them.

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_The Cave September 23, 06:34 EDT_

The young heroes were sitting at a table in the mission room, trying to make sense on what had happened the night before. Meanwhile the adults worked on fixing The Cave and all its technical damages.

Miko, Green Arrow and Black Canary stood close to The Team for emotional support.

Green Arrow put down a bowl of pretzels in front of the speedster. "Thanks but no thanks," Kid Flash said feeling down.

"Yeah," said Robin, "What we want are answers about Red Tornado and his siblings."

Kid Flash nodded, "Exactly." Green Arrow sighed and reached for the snack that he offered. The speedster quickly took it back, "Leave the bowl."

Miko smirked behind her mask, a little relived that the speedster was acting somewhat normal. 'That just leaves…everyone else,' she thought looking at her daughter and the rest of The Team, all of them looking hurt and betrayed.

Miss Martian looked down more distraught than anyone.

Superboy watched Moriko as she put her hand on her cousin shoulder and told her how everything was going to be okay, from his spot in the room. He was angry on how close Moriko came to drowning and he couldn't do a thing to stop it. His fist clenched with fury. Superboy moved his gaze to Aqualad who was whispering to Batman. Curious, he listened with his super-hearing.

"…It was during the Taipei mission with Red Arrow," said Aqualad to the Dark Knight. "He informed me about the possibility of a mole with in The Team. From what happened last night, it appears Tornado could be that traitor. But whether he betrayed us willingly or was preprogrammed is still unclear."

Superboy's eyes widened with rage and charged at the Atlantean, "YOU KNEW!" he yelled in fury grabbing his leader by the front of his shirt. The entire room of people turned by the sudden action. "That robot and his maniac family nearly got us all killed!"

"Conner stop," Moriko urged him.

"What are you doing?" Miss Martian questioned flying over to the Boy of Steel.

Superboy turned to the rest of The Team, "Kaldur knew we had a traitor among us and said NOTHING!"

Everyone looked at the Atlantean question, "He did what?" Robin said livid.

"You knew and didn't tell us?" yelled Kid Flash.

Aqualad was unfazed by their tones, "I sought to protect The Team from."

"From what?" Artemis interrupted fuming, "Knowledge that might have saved our lives?"

Moriko recollected on how Aqualad spoke to them moments before the Red's attack, "What made you think there's a traitor among us?"

"What difference does it make?" Superboy yelled at her, "You almost died!"

"I know that!" she yelled back.

"ENOUGH," Batman ordered The Team, giving them all a sinister Bat-glare. Superboy immediately let go of his hold of Aqualad. Satisfied by this the Dark Knight continued, "With Red Tornado missing, The Team will now be overseen by rotating supervisors."

"Seriously?" Moriko mumbled in annoyance, before her mother gave her a look to be silent.

Batman gestured to one of the heroes in the room, "Captain Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift."

The Captain smiled at The Team, "I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys."

Miko raised a brow, 'The Team is full of tension and he picks the ten year old who can change to a man, to look after them,' she questioned to herself of the Dark Knights sanity.

Uninterested, Superboy glared threateningly at Aqualad, "After I dismantle Red Tornado, you and I are gonna."

"Red Tornado is a member of the Justice League," Batman interrupted the Boy of Steel's threat. "Which makes him a League responsibility. You will leave him to us," he said the last part as a warning.

Miko cracked her knuckles, **"That metal bastard's is going to pay for attack my girls,"** she swore in Japanese.

After hearing her mother continue to mumble in Japanese of the torture she had planned for the robot, Moriko actually began to feel sorry for Red Tornado, 'But only a little.'

"I have another assignment for this Team," Batman informed showing a holographic image of a newspaper page.

"Gotham Mayor attacked by Guerilla Gorilla," Kid Flash read in disbelief.

Superboy leaned in to Moriko and Miss Martian, "Was this really the only thing he could find to distract us?" he whispered to them.

Robin looked at his mentor with pleading eyes, "Please, tell me you're not sending us on this joke of a mission."

Batman gave his ward a serious expression, "I. Never. Joke, about a mission." This made Robin step down from his accusation. "I've checked the sources and studied the patterns. Mayor Hill's encounter was the latest in a series of incidents." He looked to Aqualad, "You and your team will depart for India and look into it."

Aqualad nodded understanding, while The Team headed to the hanger bay.

"Heh, 'your team'," Kid Flash said with disgust to the Atlantean.

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_Hanger Bay_

"Not this time, boy," Superboy told Sphere, who was eager to come along. Sphere made a few beeping noises before departing from the room.

Captain Marvel flew into the hanger, "Wait for me?"

Moriko looked at him in question, "You're coming too?"

"Sure," said the Captain excited, "We'll have a blast."

Robin snorted as Captain Marvel entered the ship, "Translation, he blames us for the Red fiasco and doesn't trust us."

"He should join the club," Kid Flash said glaring at Aqualad as he entered the Bio-Ship.

It took the Bio-Ship several hours to get to reach is destination in Northern India. The majority of the trip was filled with silence from every Team member.

Robin, Artemis, and Moriko with Kirara on her shoulder exited the ship first, once it was close to the ground, to check the area.

Moriko took a few good whiffs and smelled nothing but jungle in the area, _"It's clear,"_ she told her cousin in her mind.

Miss Martian lowered the ship and the rest of The Team exited the ship.

"Switch to stealth," Aqualad ordered The Team as he switched his suite to stealth-mode. "We'll review mission parameters."

Kid Flash snorted, "We don't need to review."

"It's a recon mission," Robin stated, "We know what to do."

Aqualad was baffled by their attitudes. He understood the reason behind it but he thought they'd be more mature on a mission, "Robin, Kid."

"You know, the four of us," Robin gestured to the three of them and Moriko, "Started this team because the League was keeping secrets from us."

Kid Flash nodded in agreement, "Or did you forget, like you forgot to tell us about the mole?"

"Could we save the arguments for when the mission is over," Moriko furiously suggested as Kid Flash and Robin headed to the jungle, neither of them listened to her.

But Superboy did, and looked at her in disbelief, "You're taking his side!" he said loudly, referring to Aqualad.

"Superboy, stop yelling at her," Miss Martian said fuming, not liking this side of him.

"Yeah, your patronizing isn't welcome at the moment," Artemis said, as she and Miss Martian headed to a different direction of the jungle.

Moriko sighed at how everyone was on edge and was trying her best to keep it together.

Superboy went up behind Moriko and wrapped his arm around her waist, "Come on," he told her while super-jumping away from Aqualad.

Captain Marvel looked at the Atlantean in confusion, "Uhh did I miss the part where you told them the plan?"

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"Let me go," Moriko growled once Superboy landed on the ground a few miles away from the Bio-Ship. In frustration she elbowed his arm, which made him let go, "What's up with you? First you yell at me and now you're kidnapping me before Aqualad told us the plan for the mission."

Superboy glared at her, "You shouldn't be concerned what he has to say after what happened!"

"You're not the boss of me Conner," she argued, highly considering using her claws on him. "And why do you care anyway? Shouldn't you be more concerned about M`gann-chan?"

"Why would I be?" he yelled.

Moriko's angry eyes turned to sadness, "You're together now. A guy should be more worried about his girlfriend, not her cousin," she stated before walking away.

Superboy followed her, "M`gann and I aren't."

A noise in the bushes interrupted their conversation, and made them pause in movement.

Kirara hissed as she hoped off Moriko's shoulder and transformed.

Moriko sniffed the area and kicked herself mentally for not noticing it before, 'We're surrounded.'

Suddenly a giant wolf, the size of their neko yōkai companion, attacked Superboy, knocking him to the ground.

Before Moriko could turn to help him, another wolf appeared from hiding and attacked her.

Kirara roared as three wolves surrounded her and she aimed for one of their throats with her claws.

Moriko wrestled with a wolf until finally managing to get her arms around his side and scratching it with her claws. Another wolf came from behind and scratched her back, which made her scream in pain. She didn't notice as more and more wolves attacked her, the further she was being separated from Superboy.

Superboy punched a wolf in the face as another bit him in the shoulder. He screamed and pushed the wolf into a nearby tree, before punching another charging wolf in the stomach.

Moriko backed up as five wolves drove her back into a tree trunk. She took a quick look at her surroundings for a way to get out and noticed a white wolf was watching from a ledge above the clearing.

He was clearly the alpha of the pack.

'Wait,' Moriko comprehended her position and looked towards Kiara who was also being surrounded, 'They're trying to test Conner,' she realized. "Superboy," she called, "The alpha wants to challenge you and doesn't want me, a pack member, to intervene!"

Superboy watched as the wolves backed away from him and the white wolf now stood before him. "What do I do?" he asked, even though he had a good idea.

"You accept or else the pack will attack me and Kirara," she informed, knowing how wolves think thanks to Kouga and Riku.

Superboy nodded and glared at the alpha wolf, "It's just you and me big guy."

The white wolf growled and lunged towards The Boy of Steel.

Moriko cringed at the sound of the wolf taking a bite at Superboy's flash. She moved forward slightly and received a growl from the wolf in front of her.

"_Moriko,"_ said Miss Martian in her mind, _"Are you and Superboy online?"_

"_We're kind of in a situation here,"_ Moriko said showing her a mental image of the wolves.

"_We'll call you back,"_ Superboy grunted as he threw the white wolf off his back.

Moriko winced at all the scratch marks that were visible on Superboy's skin. The white wolf growled before wincing in pain from a shock that a collar shot from around its neck. This didn't go unnoticed by her and Superboy. After a quick look at the rest of the wolves, who also had collars around their throats, it became apparent what was going on with the giant wolves.

"So that's it," the Boy of Steel said as the wolf charged again. He caught the wolf in mid-air in its mid-section and the collar. With his super-strength, he crushed the collar and tossed the wolf to the ground.

The wolf pack all looked at their leader who slowly rose from the ground and looked at Superboy.

The white wolf had a look of such relief and gratitude in his eyes from being free of that wretched collar that was forced on him. He bowed his head to the Boy of Steel.

Moriko let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and slowly smiled, "He's thanking you." The white wolf slowly made his way to Superboy and rolled on his back presenting his belly. The Boy of Steel looked at Moriko in confusion, "He's submitting to you," she explained, "You're his alpha, now."

Superboy lowered and petted the wolf's belly. The rest of the pack, backed away from Moriko and Kirara allowing them to get close to Superboy.

"We got to take their collars off," Superboy told her.

She nodded agreeing, "You do the first couple. They trust you more than me at the moment."

One by one, Superboy and eventually Moriko broke the collars off the wolves freeing them.

"_Superboy, Moriko,"_ Aqualad said through the mind-link, _"Are you both alright?" _

"_Yes,"_ Moriko replied, "_The situation has been handled now." _

"_Good,"_ Aqualad said relieved, "_Because The Team needs you and Superboy for what we plan to do next." _

Superboy gritted his teeth, _"If you think that we're gonna."_

"_We're on our way,"_ Moriko interrupted before the Boy of Steel could finish. Superboy was about to argue before she spoke again, "He's the leader," she reminded him, "And we follow without question until the mission is over."

Superboy didn't like this but he reluctantly nodded.

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_Fifteen Minutes Later _

"Now!" Aqualad ordered from inside the shed, where The Brain and his gorilla minion Monsieur Mallah, had captured Captain Marvel. They were the ones responsible for the ridiculously large animals and their collars.

Superboy punched a hole in the stone wall, allowing him, Moriko, Kirara, and the white wolf to enter.

Together with The Team, they managed to subdue the villains and freed Captain Marvel.

Mallah roared in anger once he saw him and his Master were surrounded.

"Go ahead," Superboy taunted, punching his fist into his palm, "I hate monkeys."

The Brain contemplated the situation, "No Mallah," he ordered in his French accent, "This will not be our waterloo." As he spoke the mechanical parts of his body began to pull out what appeared to be an exploding weapon, "Farwell," The Brain said as the sounds of a machine booting hit The Teams ears.

"Get down!" Kid Flash warned his teammates, who braced themselves for anything.

Suddenly the lights of the facility were shut off and then slowly came back on again. Only to reveal that The Brain and Mousier Mallah had escaped.

"Wait, that thing was a light switch?" Kid Flash said confused.

Aqualad looked at the situation and contemplated what The Brain had been up to. 'He used the Kobra-Venom to enhance the animals in the area and used the collars of Belle Reve to control them…But why?'

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_Twenty Minutes Later _

"What are you grinning about?" Artemis asked the speedster as The Team walked back to the Bio-Ship.

Kid Flash smirked, "One word: Souvenir," as he put on Mousier Mallah's red hat.

"Two words," the archer replied, "Gorilla lice." Kid Flash immediately took the hat off in disgust.

Moriko chuckled at the two as she stood next to Superboy and the white wolf.

"What are you still doing here?" Superboy questioned the wolf, as he was kneeled down petting behind the canine's ears.

Moriko gave Superboy a knowing look, "I told you, you're his alpha now."

Miss Martian giggled as the wolf liked Superboy's face, "And it looks like he wants to stay with you."

Superboy looked at the others excited, "Can I keep him?"

Kid Flash shook his head, "First Sphere, now this big guy? You sure have a habit of collecting strays."

"Maybe it's because he's such a stray himself," said Miss Martian.

"Until he got a family," Moriko reminded her, before she rubbed the wolf's ears.

"Uhh, if we keep the wolf, what's that gonna mean for Kirara?" Robin pointed at the neko, who had turned to her smaller form. "You know that whole cats not liking dogs thing and vise versa."

Kirara walked up to the wolf and sat there in front of him, watching his actions carefully. The wolf lowered his nose to the neko and sniffed her a few times before he suddenly licked the side of her face. Kirara shook off the wolfs slobber before she meowed in approval, hopped on the wolf's back, and rubbed her body on his fur as she curled up into a ball to get comfy. The wolf slightly turned his head to watch the neko with a hint of a canine smirk on his face.

Moriko chuckled at the whole thing, "That answers that question."

"Aww," Miss Martian looked at the scene adoringly, "That's so cute."

"We'll he's gonna need a name," Kid Flash said gesturing to the wolf, "Hmm, how about Krypto?"

The wolf growled and Kirara hissed at the name.

"That would be a 'no'," Superboy translated.

"I think for Kirara that was a 'hell no'," Moriko joked.

"Besides, isn't that name taken?" Miss Martian questioned.

Aqualad smirked and made his way to the Bio-Ship.

"Wait," Robin stopped him, "I need to know something...Why did you keep the mole a secret from us?"

The Team looked at their leader, waning to know the answer.

Aqualad sighed before he spoke, "The source of the tip was Sportsmaster."

"What?" Artemis yelled in detest, "You can't trust that guy!"

"I do not," Aqualad admitted, "It was possible that he was attempting to divide The Team with false information."

"But you still took it seriously?" Moriko questioned.

Aqualad nodded, "I am the leader and I have to consider that it might be true. And I did not wish to alert the traitor."

Robin thought of the explanation, "I hate to admit it, but it makes sense."

Aqualad faced The Team, "If you wish for me to step down, I will."

Kid Flash turned to his team mates, "All in favor of keeping Aqualad as leader?"

After hearing the reason why he kept the secret, everyone raised their hand.

"Guess it's unanimous," Captain Marvel said shaking the Atlantean's hand. "Well, see you guys tomorrow."

"You're not coming back with us?" asked Aqualad.

"Nope," the Captain answered. "Gotta fly," he answered before flying away.

The Team headed for the Bio-Ship.

"So, what are you gonna call him?" Miss Martian asked Superboy gesturing to the wolf.

Superboy rubbed the large canine's head, "What's wrong with Wolf?"

"Generic," Kid Flash said in his opinion, "But acceptable."

"Well I like it," Miss Martian said smiling at Superboy, and wrapped her arms around one of his.

The Boy of Steel gave an uncomfortable smile, while Moriko slightly frowned.

As soon as The Team got back to the Cave, Moriko claimed that she was exhausted and ran to her room and locked the door. Not wanting to face an intimate encounter between her crush and her cousin.

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_The Cave October 1, 18:02 EDT _

For the last few days, Karin avoided Conner and M`gann as often as she could. But today was a school day, and Conner knew that she'd have to use the zeta tube to get there. So he waited for to show up.

Karin walked into the room and paused as she locked eyes on the Boy of Steel. Her surprise only lasted a moment before she continued to walk over to the zeta tube. She was avoiding Conner completely as she programed her destination

"Karin hold on," Conner blocked her path,

"I'm going to be late for home room," she said emotionlessly.

"Just hear me out, so I can explain," he pleaded.

Karin sighed, "There's nothing to explain. I know you and M`gann-chan are together. You don't need my approval or anything to date her."

"But that's not what," Conner tried to say but could tell she wasn't listening and tried to get past him, "Will you just stop and listen to me!" Finally frustrated with her actions, he grabbed Karin's shoulders firmly, careful not to hurt her. "M`gann and I aren't together."

Karin gave an unamused laugh, "I saw you both kiss."

"She kissed me," Conner clarified, "I never once kissed her back."

That's when Karin looked him in the eyes, "You kissed more than once?"

Conner realized his what he said and mentally kicked himself, "Well, yes but."

"Just stop," Karin begged, as tears started to form in her eyes. Conner began to get a little panicked, since he'd never seen her cry before. "M`gann-chan really likes you…and you should ask her out since you obviously like her too."

"But I don't want to be with M`gann," Superboy said sternly, letting his grip on her arms loosen, "I want to be with you."

**And cut. That seems like a good place to stop for now. Don't worry it will be picked up in the next chapter...next week. *Dodges a random object thrown by reader* Ha ha, you missed. I promise it'll be worth the wait. So what do you all think? Next Time: Confessions and a fight with the Injustice League. **

**Till Then My Readers **


	13. True Confessions

To Be a Hero

**To My Reviewers: **

**SailorJupiter001: It's here. It's here. It's here. **

**Inu-Hanyou2016: I'm glad you enjoyed it. **

**Molly Grace 16: Conner is a teenage boy. Super or not, when has a teenage boy handled things the right way the first time? **

**AgnetCoCo: I know, I love him too. To answer your question...keep reading. **

**Guest: Very soon. Who knows, it could be now *wink wink* **

**Anime hotty lover.18: Can you really be mad at Conner? In all honesty, I he tried to tell both girls how he felt but circumstances prevented him from doing so. **

**Angel4EverLostInLife: Of course XD Here ya go. **

**chibi-Clar: This chapter will be exciting, I'll give you that. **

**Jacque' la Kitsune: I'm really happy that you like it. I guarantee most of your questions will be answered very soon. **

**Mistress Freya: Sorry. I hope this chapter is worth the wait. **

**Applejax XD: Just wanted you to have something to look forward to the following week. **

**Kitsune's Den: Don't blame M`gann. She's just a little bit naïve about what's going on with Superboy. **

**sverhei: That it is. Craziness all around this wanna be love triangle. **

**Thank all of you for your reviews and Black Wolf 101, DarkInuBlossom,** **and ****AgnetCoCo for your support. **

Disclaimer: Everyone knows the drill. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. The only character I own is Karin/Moriko. So, please don't sue me.

Chapter 13: True Confessions

Karin's teary eyes widened, wondering if she'd heard him correctly. "Wh-what?"

"I want to be with you," Conner repeated, "Karin...it's always been you," he admitted, using his thumb to wipe some of the tears that escaped down her face. "From the very beginning, you accepted me without question. You made me feel wanted for the first time in my existence."

"Life," she corrected automatically.

He smiled, "You see, just like that…You have no idea how much just saying that means to me."

"But M`gann-chan," Karin tried to dispute.

Conner grabbed Karin's hand and put it on his chest, right over his heart. "M`gann doesn't make my heart beat faster whenever I'm with her...Only you...Just like it is now."

Karin blushed slightly and moved her gaze down to the floor. All this was happening so fast it felt like her head was spinning. But she couldn't help the smile that formed on her face, 'Conner likes me?…And I'm crying like an idiot,' she thought wanting to smack herself, as she wiped her tears away before she looked back into Conner's stunning blue eyes.

"I can hear your heart beating faster too," he admitted, smiling at how Karin was effected in the same way he was by her. "I know you feel the same way about me too, Karin…I heard you say so in the gym."

Karin gave him a critical look, "Spy," she accused.

"And?" he mockingly dared her to challenge him.

Karin couldn't help but smile wider at his teasing before resting her forehead to Conner's chest, hearing his heart beating faster. Conner wrapped his arm around her but kept her hand that was on his chest in place, while his thumb brushed against the necklace that he gave her. Even though Karin thought that she'd never be with Conner, she couldn't bring herself to just put the necklace away. 'I'm glad I didn't.'

Conner was enjoying this feeling of holding Karin close to him, as if the two of them were always meant to be, it made him feel like this is what it meant to be alive.

Relaxing in the embrace, Karin wrapped her arms around Conner to embrace him back. She slowly turned her head to rest her face on his chest, inhaling his masculine scent as she did so, which drove her inu yōkai senses crazy. She felt so happy just by him holding her that she could sing.

It seemed like nothing could ruin this touching moment.

All except, 'M`gann,' Karin thought suddenly feeling of guilt, "We can't," she reluctantly told Conner as she pulled out of his embrace.

"Yes we can," Conner claimed, refusing to let go of her hand as she tried to pull it back, "If it's what we both want, why can't we try to be together?"

Karin shook her head, "I'm not saying we can't be together. But...we can't right now. M`gann-chan still thinks you like her," she reminded him. "I won't hurt her by being with you if she thinks you're still interested."

Conner sighed as he closed his eyes in dismay. He knew Karin wasn't a selfish person, and would want to take care of others before focusing on what she wanted. So he nodded in understanding, "I'll talk to her."

"We should both tell her together," she said before getting a worried expression. "I just hope that she doesn't hate me afterwards…or us."

"_Team, report to the Mission Room,"_ Batman alerted in the Cave.

Both young heroes sighed, and Conner unwillingly let go of Karin's hand.

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_The Cave October 1, 18:13 EDT _

In the Mission Room, Batman, along with the Justice League sorcerer Zatara, put on the national news for The Team. The news reports showed members of the Justice League fighting some type of giant plant monster that was terrorizing all of Metropolis.

"Should we get out there?" asked Robin.

Batman turned to his ward, "No. They'll soon have the situation under control. But I'm here for a different reason." He showed a holographic image of Sportsmaster, "According to The Team's reports, Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus's Blockbuster formula to Kobra."

"And with it, they created the Kobra Venom," Wally recited what they've discovered on Isla Santa Prisca.

"And The Brain used it to create his animal army," Robin stated what they learned on their last mission.

Wolf nudged Conner at the mention of why he was big and strong. The Boy of Steel rubbed the canines head and muzzle.

"He also used inhibitor collars like the ones at Belle Reve Penitentiary," M`gann reminded them.

"So, all of our past missions are connected to one major scheme," Karin concluded.

Artemis thought over the information, "Batman, is it possible that those plants are on Kobra Venom too?"

Batman nodded, "Green Lantern did a quick analysis on one of the plants. He revealed that the vine's cellulose does contain trace amounts of a modified Kobra Venom."

Kaldur didn't like how the situation was turning out, "This means that unrelated criminals are cooperating with one another worldwide." After hearing that, Robin used a holographic keyboard to look at other news cast around the globe.

"Exactly," Batman agreed. "Our enemies have formed some kind of secret society of supervillains. The attack on Metropolis…is just the beginning."

"You got that right," said Robin as he revealed multiple screens of plant creatures attacking multiple cities. "This thing is sprouting in Gotham City, Paris, Star City, and Taipei."

Before the Boy Wonder could continue, all screens turned to static.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Wally asked his young friend.

"It's not me," Robin swore. "Someone's cutting into satellite signal."

"All of them?" Karin gestured to all the screens. "How is that possible?"

Suddenly, a frightening face appeared on the screen that Batman and Robin knew all too well;

The Joker.

The psychotic clown knocked on the camera lens filming him, _"Ladies and Gentleman, we interrupt your regularly scheduled mayhem, to bring you this important announcement."_ Joker flipped open a switch knife, before turning the camera to a group of supervillains huddled together, _"From the Injustice League…ha-ha-ha." _

The Jokers signature laugh made Karin's spine shiver. It says a lot if a mortal can give anyone with yōkai blood the creeps.

Kirara hissed at the sight of the supervillains on the screen. Wolf followed the nekos example and snarled as one of the supervillains named Count Vertigo stepped forward to speak.

"_We are responsible for the attacks on your cities," _admitted the count,_ "If you wish to save them, a ransom of ten billion American dollars is required."_ Batman immediately contacted the League members after hearing the supervillain's demands. _"Delivery instructions have been distributed to the United Nations. There is no time limit," _Count Vertigo assured, but continued to carry his intimidating tone, "_But the longer your government waits."_

The Joker quickly grabbed the screen and pulled it back to him, _"The more we get to have our…jollies. Ha-ha-ha."_

The feed cut off.

"Roger that, Aquaman," Batman confirmed threw the com-link, "The United Nations will prepare the ransom as a fallback…But it won't come to that," he swore.

Robin used the holographic key board to rewind the footage and paused it so The Team can get a good look at the supervillains again, "Count Vertigo, The Joker, Poison Ivy, Ultra-Humanite, Atomic Skull, Black Adam, and Wotan," Robin identified each villain, "That's seven heavy hitters…This Injustice League is probably behind nearly everything and everyone we've faced."

"There's the secret society," Wally stated.

Artemis shook her head, "They're not exactly secret anymore."

"But why would they show themselves now?" Karin questioned the villain's motives.

Kaldur thought of a reason, "Perhaps after facing The Brain in India, they realized that we would find out the truth and saw no point in hiding any longer."

"That was there mistake," Wally punched his fist into his palm, "Right now, I say we go kick some plant-creature butt."

Batman glared at the speedster, "I told you, The Justice League will handle the plants. I now have a different mission for this team."

"Ah man," Wally complained. Artemis smacked him in the back of the head, "Oww, what was that for?"

"With so many plants attacking simultaneously," Batman continued over the disruption, "There must be some sort of central control system. The Team's mission is to find the control system and destroy it."

Zatara looked at the Dark Knight in shock, "Do you realize what you're asking of them?" he asked his friend.

Batman nodded with confidence, "They're ready."

"Ready for what?" asked Wally confused. Artemis smacked him on the head again, "Would you quit it," he demanded fuming.

"Hello Wally," Artemis said using M`gann's favorite catch phrase. "If the League's fighting the plants, who do you think we'll be fighting?" the archer asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Wally thought it over, but still didn't get it. Karin grabbed his face with one hand and forced him to look at the group of supervillains on the screen, to make it easier for him to understand.

The Team will be fighting the Injustice League.

Wally slowly grew a smirk, "Ooooh."

Zatara looked to Batman, "I trust you're correct."

"I trust 'you' can locate the enemy," Batman replied to his one of many former mentors.

"Indeed, I can," responded Zatara. "If Wotan's involved, then sorcery is a definite part of how the plants are controlled…If I may have a holographic map?" Robin pulled up a hologram of the world. Zatara went to the glob and used an incantation to find the source of large magic activity. Only one spot appeared on the map, "That is where the Injustice is hiding."

Robin looked up the area of the coordinates, "The Louisiana Bayou."

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_Bayou Bartholomew October 1, 18:52 CDT_

The Team were all strapped into their seats in the Bio-Ship, ready for a significantly difficult mission that they were about to face. Wolf and Kirara, who was on Karin's shoulder, were also present and stayed close to their charges.

Kid Flash looked at over towards Aqualad, who had carried a duffle bag with him. 'He never does that,' "What's in that?"

Aqualad continued looking straight ahead, "Plan B."

Suddenly, Miss Maritain groaned in pain.

"M`gann-chan," Moriko said worried.

"Are you alright?" Superboy questioned.

It took Miss Martian a moment to answer, "Dizzy."

"Can Martians get airsick?" Robin questioned.

Kid Flash looked at his Martian crush, "She does look greener than usual."

Miss Martian shook her head, "No not me…the ship. She's trying to shield us but I don't know from what."

Aqualad looked out the window and identified why the Bio-ship was shielding them, "From him."

Count Vertigo was using his hand made equipment to attack with his 'Vertigo Effect.'

Miss Martian tried to keep the Bio-Ship steady but as a result its camouflage mode was now offline.

Black Adam saw the Bio-ship appear, flew into the air, and hit the ship hard with his super-strength.

The Team held on tight as the hit made the Bio-Ship crash into the swamp. They all groaned as the ship came to a stop.

But it wasn't over yet.

The vines of the giant plant emerged from the swamp and started to slowly drag the Bio-Ship underwater. Black Adam jumped on top of the ship and pulled the material apart to get inside.

Miss Martian cried in pain, "He's hurting her!"

Superboy quickly punched the villain in the face, sending him flying away from the swamp. But the damage was already done. The Bio-Ship was too weak to heal its self, so the hole the villain created stayed and water began to poor inside.

"Oh, hell no," Artemis complained getting a breathing apparatus form her quiver, "I am not nearly drowning three missions in a row." She grabbed a spare breathing apparatus and gave it to Kid Flash.

"Uhh thanks," he said appreciative but confused why Artemis was being nice to him.

"M`gann-chan, get us out of here?" Moriko asked her cousin.

Miss Martian created an opening in the ship for every to get out safely. Every young hero, wolf or neko, quickly swam out of the ship and on to land.

The Team watched as the Bio-Ship turned into a ball and sank to the bottom of the swamp.

"She's in shock," Miss Martian explained to her team, since they all looked worried. "She'll need time to recover."

Suddenly, Moriko picked up the scent of someone coming. Before she could warn her team, a rapid screeching and the feeling of extreme dizziness over took her body.

The Team, Wolf and a fully grown Kiara were also being affected by Count Vertigo's attack.

Superboy gritted his teeth as he attempted to charge at the 'royal' villain, but Black Adam punched the Boy of Steel in the face causing him to fly backward.

The Count laughed at the assault, which distracted him from using his 'Vertigo 'Effect.' This gave Aqualad a chance to use his water-bearers and manipulate the water from the swamp to attack the Count. _"Robin, Miss Martian, Moriko,"_ he told his team through the telepathic link, _"Disappear. We have our mission." _

With that, Moriko and Robin headed into the bayou and Miss Martian went to camouflage mode and followed closely behind them.

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_A Few Minute Later_

"_I've lost contact with the others,"_ Miss Martian said worried, _"Should we go back?" _

"_Sorry,"_ Robin interrupted, _"That's not the gig…This is," _he gestured to the Injustice Leagues hide out. Just by looking at the giant plant on top, they knew this was the central control system.

"_Why keep it out in the open like this?"_ Moriko questioned why the hide out wasn't hidden better.

"_It looks like that plant on top severs as an antenna of sorts,"_ Robin hypothesized, _"It must be what controls the plants worldwide."_

Moriko nodded before hearing something come up behind them, she readied her claws once she saw Poison Ivy standing in front of her.

"Well, hello," greeted the female plant manipulator. With a single thought, she summoned multiple large plant vines and wrapped around the heroes. Moriko managed to tear up a few of them before two wrapped around both her wrist making it impossible for her to cut them. The Ultra-Huminate, walked up behind Ivy while holding a laser gun and pointed it at The Team members, "And goodbye."

Miss Martian used her telekinesis to make the gun shoot at the plants, instead of Robin, which gave The Martian, the Boy Wonder, and the yōkai blooded girl a chance to escape.

Robin immediately began to run towards the central control.

"Sorry, Boy Wonder," Poison Ivy said with mock regret, "I'm putting an end to your little reconnaissance mission," she stated as she began to summon her plants again.

"Not today," Moriko told the plant manipulator as she gave Ivy an upper cut.

Ultra-Huminate tried to shoot at the Boy Wonder instead, but Miss Martian used her telekinesis to hit the altered gorilla with his own gun, knocking him out. _"Robin, Moriko, she regained contact with me."_

"_Who? Artemis?"_ Robin questioned.

"_Kirara?"_ Moriko guessed.

Miss Martian looked up and saw Wotan and Black Adam carrying a magic cage that held the rest of her teammates. She smiled, _"No, not them."_

The Bio-Ship suddenly appeared from the sky and hit Wotan, causing him to break his hold on the magic cage.

The Team landed somewhat gracefully into the mud.

Humainate, who regained consciousness, grabbed the gun and aimed it at Superboy.

The Boy of Steel glared at the gorilla, "I. Hate. Monkeys."

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_Meanwhile_

"_I can use my shuriken to take down the plant antenna," _Robin informed Moriko and Miss Martian, once they reached the top of the central control. _"But it'll take a few minutes." _

"_We may not have that long,"_ Miss Martian warned as she saw the others fighting down below.

Moriko was about to comment when she felt a pulse coming from behind her back. 'What was that?' She felt another pulse and her eyes widened in realization. 'That's…Tetsusaiga,' Moriko thought as turned her head to look at her back, and realized that the fang was definitely pulsing. She had felt this sensation only one other time in her life and knew exactly what it meant.

The Tetsusaiga wanted to be drawn.

"_Moriko help me,"_ Robin pressed as he pulled out some of his shuriken.

"_Hold on,"_ Moriko told him as reached for the sword behind her back, _"I might have a better way."_

Robin rolled his eyes, _"You can't slice the plant thing off with that." _

"_Yes…I can,"_ Moriko said as placed the sword in front of her and pulled it form its sheath.

The fang forged blade transformed into the legendary Tetsusaiga.

Miss Martian and Robin started in awe at the large bladed sword. _"Whoa,"_ said the Boy Wonder.

"_Get behind me,"_ Moriko told her friends as she gripped the Tetsusaiga and put the sheath in her obi. Miss Martian and Robind immediately did as they were told.

Moriko closed her eyes and sniffed the air around her. She had to find the exact spot to cut between the wind surrounding her and the giant plant…The part where the two winds collide.

"_There,"_ she located the spot as she lifted the blade, "Kaze no Kizu!" she yelled as she released the deadly Wind Scar.

The attack was loud enough for everyone below to pause and stare in surprise.

Poison Ivy looked at the scene in horror, "MY BABY!" she cried for the plant antenna as it fell to pieces around the bayou. Furious, Ivy summoned more giant plant vines, aimed them towards Robin, Miss Martian and Moriko in a rage, and attacked them.

Miss Martian used her powers to hold the vines back.

Robin got hit by an energy back behind him. Atomic Skull was standing next to The Joker. He attacked the Boy Wonder again, making him flip backward and away from the central control.

"Children," The Joker said in disbelief, "Our plans were foiled by children…Inconceivable. Unacceptable. Retributionable!"

"I get it you're pissed," Moriko said as she sheathed Tetsusaiga, "Let's move on."

The Joker pulled out a switch blade knife, "Why not use that fancy sword on me sweetheart?"

"Cause a psycho like you isn't even worth its time," Moriko replied as she got into a fighting stance. Suddenly a lightning bolt struck her in the back from the attack Wotan had unleashed on her and The Team. Moriko yelled in pain and stumbled off the building, landing in the mud near her team mates.

Aqualad managed to redirect the lightning attack from him and Miss Martian, "Plan B," he told her.

The Martian nodded as she used her telekinesis to bring the duffel bag to their location.

With one hand, Aqualad pulled out the duffle bags contents;

The Helmet of Fate.

Wotan stopped his attack and looked at the helmet in fear.

Kid Flash looked at the Atlantean and realized what he was about to do, "Don't do it!

Aqualad put on the helmet and transformed into Doctor Fate.

Doctor Fate flew into the air and stared down at the dark sorcerer, "Wotan, you are mine!"

The Team continued to fight the Injustice League, not finding any end in sight.

Suddenly, a magic attack hit Wotan in the back of the head as he was facing Doctor Fate.

Zatara, Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Miko, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Superman, Captain Marvel, Hawkman, Hawkwoman and Captain Atom surrounded the Injustice League.

"It's over," said Batman.

The supervillains looked around them and knew they were desperately out numbered. "There will be another day," Count Vertigo pledged as he and the other villains put their hands up in surrender.

All accept one.

"Another day?" The Joker questioned in hysterics, "Another day?! There won't be another day! Not for us! Ha-ha-ha." The clown maniac laughed as he used his control over the vines to release his signature attack that was contained within the spores of the vines; Joker Venom.

"Don't breathe!" Batman ordered everyone as he punched The Joker, knocking him out.

Miko and Zatara created barriers around everyone to protect them from the poison.

"Fear not!" said Doctor Fate as he flew out of the barrier and cleansed the poison from the air, "Fate has intervened!"

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A few League members arrested the supervillains and took them away to where they could be properly arrested by the authorities.

While they did so, Kid Flash, who was holding his broken arm, looked at Miss Martian in anger. "What were you thinking?" he yelled. "You let him put on the helmet! NABU WILL NEVER RELASE AQUALAD!...He'll be trapped as Doctor Fate forever," he said the last part saddened.

Doctor Fate merely started at all of them and to everyone's surprise, he took off The Helmet of Fate.

Kid Flash was relived but was still shocked, "Nabu let you go?" he asked the young Atlantean.

"He almost did not," Aqualad admitted, "Kent Nelson was most helpful in persuading him to release me. He says 'hello.'"

"Then we're done here," Batman told The Team, "The supervillains' secret society has been neutralized. As for your performance," he paused as The Team braced themselves for any type of scolding. "It was satisfactory."

The Team smiled at the Dark Knights praise.

"Well we do owe a special thanks to Moriko and her bad ass weapon," Robin commented, as he patted Moriko on the back.

Miko's and Martian Manhunter's eyes widened as they turned to the central control and recognized the marks of Tetsusaiga's signature attack.

"You used the Wind Scar!" Miko yelled in shock.

"Your mother and I have told you that Tetsusaiga was only to be used as a last resort," Martian Manhutner reprimanded.

Moriko turned her gaze down as she was being scolded, "We didn't have a lot of options at the moment."

"You could have killed someone with that attack," Batman voiced as he gave her a Bat-glare.

This made Moriko look up, giving a glare of her own towards the Dark Knight, "But I didn't. I've been trained to use Tetsusaiga and know how to use it properly."

"Karin saved everyone by using it," Miss Martian voiced her opinion, "Who knows if we would have been able to take down the antenna as fast as we did."

Miko waited a moment to take a calming breath before asking a very important question, "Karin, who's idea was it to use the Wind Scar?"

"It was her idea," Robin answered, "But it definitely."

"No, it wasn't my idea," Moriko corrected the Boy Wonder, "It was Tetsusaigas."

Aqualad raised a brow, "The sword talks?"

"It's more about the bond between Tetsusaiga and its master, then vocalizing words" Martian Manhunter quickly explained, "But that doesn't change the fact that you deliberately disobeyed me and your mother."

Moriko rubbed the bridge of her nose before speaking, "Hold on, J`onn...Although the voice of maternal fear is screaming in my head, we both knew this day was going to come," she reluctantly admitted.

Batman raised a brow, "Are saying you approve of what she did?"

"Karin could have used the sword on other missions before this one," Miko pointed out as she looked back up to the Dark Knight. "Clearly her instincts and Tetsusaiga's judgment know the right and wrong time to use the Wind Scar."

"Although a few missions come to mind when we could have used that attack," Kid Flash pointed out. "Maybe she could use it more often now?"

"NO!" the League members and Moriko yelled to the speedster.

The speedster held his one good hand up in defense, "Geez, sorry."

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_The Cave: A Few Hours Later_

"So," Conner said as he entered the gym, where Karin was stretching her sore muscles. "Were you ever gonna tell me about Tetsusaiga?"

Karin gave a guilty look, "Technically, my Kaa-san did when we first met," she reminded him. "The power that I showed all those years ago...it was the Wind Scar."

Conner aversely accepted the excuse, "Where'd you get that thing anyway?" he gestured to the Tetsusaiga."

Karin paused mid-stretch for a moment until starting again, "My Tou-san gave it to me."

"Martian Manhunter?" he asked confused.

She half laughed, "No, my biological Tou-san. Tetsusaiga was the last…well, the only thing he ever gave me, before he died."

Conner could tell from Karin's behavior that Inuyasha bit of a sore subject. But he wanted to know everything about her, even the painful things. "What happened to him? Your dad."

Karin didn't answer right away as she stopped stretching and slowly walked to a nearby weight bench to sit down. The story was a long one, "Before Tou-san met my Kaa-san…he met a woman named Kikyo…She was his first love but an evil hanyou named Naraku made sure that their love didn't last." Conner sat down next to Karin, allowing her the time to get the words out. "During her journey in the past, Kaa-san fell in love with my Tou-san. After they defeated Naraku, my Tou-san asked my Kaa-san to marry him and to stay with him in the Feudal Era."

"I'm guessing she said yes," said Conner.

"Yeah," she nodded, "But when Kikyo found out about it, she was furious. In her mind my Tou-san belonged to her. So, Kikyo created a curse and cast it on my Tou-san, so that he'd obey her and brainwashed him to think that he only loved her…Kikyo's first order for my Tou-san was to kill my Kaa-san." Karin paused bringing her knees to her chest. "He almost succeeded. If it wasn't for my Oji-sama being in the village that day, my Kaa-san would have died. After that, Kaa-san went back home, sealed the portal to the past and tried to forget my Tou-san completely about his betrayal."

"But you said he was under a curse," Conner pointed out.

She turned her head to rest her cheek on her knees, "He was, but my Kaa-san didn't find out about it until years later."

This made him more confused, "How did she find out? The portal was sealed."

"My Tou-san and Kikyo took the long way back to the present," Karin explained. "Kikyo waited those five hundred years to finish what they started…She used dark magic to create a false body for my Tou-san, like a witch did for her body a long time ago, so they could live forever. However, the bodies could only live by the souls of the weak or recently dead," Conner cringed at the thought. "It was my fault that they nearly succeeded in killing my Kaa-san the second time...They kidnapped me from the park one day when I was six. I didn't understand what was going on at the time but I remember that Kikyo scared the hell out of me...And it was the first time I met my Tou-san, he was surprisingly nice to me and I was happy that he found me...My Kaa-san and the League found me three days after I was taken. That's when my Kaa-san learned about the curse and asked J`onn to help breaking it."

"Wait," Conner interrupted her story, "J`onn helped the guy who was gonna kill your mom?"

Karin nodded and smiled, "Yeah, Outo-san admitted that he didn't want to, but he told my Kaa-san that since she asked him to do it, he would. My Kaa-san told Outo-san, that she wanted him to do it because it was the right thing to do and that too much time passed between her and my Tou-san for her to have romantic feelings for him anymore." Karin's smile suddenly disappeared, "When the curse was broken, my Tou-san told the League what Kikyo had done to him and how obsessed she was on stealing my Kaa-san's soul...And that in order to save some of the the souls that he took to find peace in the afterlife was that he had to die...Kaa-san allowed him to see me one last time to say good bye and that's when he gave me Tetsusaiga."

Conner realized why was so hesitant in telling him where she got the sword, "That's one hell of a parting gift."

Karin nodded, "Tou-san told me that my Ojii-sama created the sword to protect the mortal woman he loved. It was passed down to him and he used it to protect my Kaa-san…When Tou-san gave it to me he said, 'Use it to protect the ones you love.'"

He smirked, "You definitely did today."

"Of course," she said straightening up as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I can't even imagine my life without The Team...Especially you," she confessed.

Conner was happy to hear that he meant that much to her. He was even more grateful that she told him the sad tale about her father. He rubbed Karin's back soothingly, understanding how she felt about meeting your father for the first time and not having things turn out the way you want. 'Something we have in common.' But at least Karin has a mother and a step-father who love and adore her.

She was lucky.

"So are you," Karin said suddenly. Conner raised a brow, "You have people who love you too."

He looked at her surprised, "How'd you know what I was thinking?"

"You learn to read facial expressions with family members who are psychic," she admitted. "That and I just know you."

Conner smirked as he brushed a piece of Karin's hair behind her ear, causing her to lean into his touch. That's when he slowly began to lean in closer to her.

Karin didn't stop Conner advances and from what the Boy of Steel could tell, she didn't want him to.

Taking that as permission to continue, Conner's lips met Karin's in a sweet kiss. It only lasted a few moments but it felt much longer to the both of them, since they both retreated breathlessly.

'We shouldn't be doing this now,' Karin thought in a daze from the kiss, thinking about how M`gann still needed to know the truth. 'But it feels so right.'

"I wish that was my first kiss," Conner admitted leaning his forehead down on hers.

Karin grinned, "Well it was the first one that you gave to someone. That counts."

Conner smiled before kissing her again, whelmed with the feeling of never wanting to stop.

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_Meanwhile In an Unknown Location_

Multiple screens of footage of every Justice League member played in front of a group of maniacal villains.

"Impressive," said Vandal Savage. "The plant creature has indeed proven its usefulness as a potential weapon. More importantly, the so-called heroes believe our secret society has been revealed and defeated." He walked up and turned to face his friends, "With the Injustice League serving as our proxies, we are free to operate with impunity."

Out of the shadows, the villains Queen Bee, Ocean's Master, Ra's al Ghul, Lex Luthor, The Brain, and Klarion the Witch Boy stepped forward.

"And shadows still conceal our Light," Vandal Savage said delighted. Suddenly an image of Moriko using her sword appeared on screen, "It appears that your informants were right about that girl and her weapon, Ra's."

The leader of the League of Shadows stepped forward, "Indeed they were. If they spoke the truth about Moriko and her sword, then the rest of their tales must be, as well."

Klarion chuckled, "I could have told you that, but what would have been the fun in that," The Lord of Chaos bragged.

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_The Cave: October 2, 18:17 EDT _

Karin and Conner couldn't put this off anymore.

They had to tell M`gann the truth.

They walked together down the hall to Kitchen, where the Martian was trying a new recipe she found.

"M`gann-chan," Karin called hesitantly with Conner at her side.

The Martian looked up from her cooking. "Hey guys, dinner's almost ready."

"M`gann-chan…We have to tell you something," Karin said with a seriousness tone that made her cousin nervous.

"What is it?" she asked anxiously, "Has something happened to Uncle J`onn and Aunt Kagome? Oh my gosh, is Kou`ki alright?"

Karin shook her head, "No no, they're all fine."

M`gann gave a sigh of relief, "Oh thank goodness. I thought you were going to tell me bad news."

Conner and Karin gave each other a knowing glance.

This was going to be hard.

"M`gann we," Conner tried to explain but couldn't think of the right words.

This got the Martian's attention, and she stepped away from what she was doing, to face the both of them.

Karin bit her lip, "M`gann-chan…Conner and I…we're."

"We're together," Conner finally managed to say as he grabbed Karin's hand.

Witnessing that action as the words sunk in, M`gann's body froze. Many emotions were driving though her mind all at once that she didn't know where to begin. There was definitely surprise, along with confusion, and hints of rage.

But most of all, there was betrayal.

"What?…You both are…But," M`gann tried to form words but was having a difficult time speaking. "But Conner likes me...We kissed."

"You kissed me, M`gann" Conner reminded her. "I didn't kiss you or say that I wanted to be with you." He knew these words were harsh but he had to make his feelings clear.

M`gann shook her head in denial, "No-no, you made the first move. Karin said that," she stopped mid-sentence as Karin's betrayal began to surface above all of her other emotions. "How could you do this to me?" she blamed her cousin.

Karin felt more and more guilty, "We didn't mean to hurt you, M`gann-chan. Conner and I...we didn't plan this."

Infuriated, M`gann clenched her fist and quickly read both their minds, wanting to know exactly what happened and how. As she sorted through both of their memories, one stood out above all others, "You kissed her?" she accused the Boy of Steel.

Conner and Karin were surprised that the Martian went that far, as to read their minds without any warning. "M`gann don't. That's private," Conner said slightly angry.

"Private?" M`gann yelled, "The both of you went behind my back and you," she paused in her anger and began to get teary eyed. "Why?" she demanded from the both of them.

"M`gann-chan," Karin said remorsefully. The last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt her cousin like this.

M`gann couldn't, and wouldn't, take this anymore as she ran out the door crying, heading to her room.

Karin sighed as her own tears slid down her face, "She hates us," she stated while she slowly walked to the Sitting Room to sit on the couch.

"M`gann had to know," Conner reminded her as he sat down next to Karin, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder, as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Are we," Karin tried to ask her question but was afraid to ask it, "Do you think we're being too selfish?"

Conner looked down at her surprised at what she said, "Karin, you're one of the least selfish people I know...And what else could we do? Deny how we feel just to make M`gann happy. That would have been wrong."

She nodded and closed her eyes, "But I feel so bad."

"I know," he admitted, "I do too." Conner never wanted to hurt M`gann's feelings. He may not have felt anything romantic for the Martian, but she was still his friend.

"Do you think she'll ever forgive us?" Karin asked, hoping he would have an answer.

Conner wished he could give her one, "I don't know," he said before kissing Karin's forehead, as she continued to cry from guilt.

**Ouch that last bit hurt, but is there really any gentle way to break someone's heart. Anyway, it looks like The Team will have more challenges to face in the future. What will it mean for the new couple? So, what do you guys think so far? Next time: Red Tornado returns and a practice that goes horribly wrong. **

**Till Then My Readers **


	14. Red, Love, and Chaos

To Be a Hero

**I'd like to give a shout out to tana1100, julieta.0126, AgnetCoCo, chibi-no-baka, Molly Grace 16, chibi-Clar, Anime hotty lover.18, sverhei, and ThePegasusDevice, .54, rspringb, Applejax XD, and Kitsune's Den. You guys are awesome. **

Disclaimer: Let's make this quick.

Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha.

Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network owns Young Justice.

I own Karin/Moriko.

Please no sue.

And go!

Chapter 14: Red, Love, and Chaos

_The Cave October 10, 16:58 EDT_

The next few days were hard for Karin and Conner. The couple had tried to talk to M`gann countless times, but the Martian refused to acknowledge, speak, or look at her cousin or the Boy of Steel.

Not knowing what else to do, Karin tried to give M`gann the space she obviously wanted.

But that was difficult to do today since their assigned den mother, Black Canary, ordered a combat training session for all team members.

Well, almost all members.

"Here's your pineapple juice," Captain Marvel gave to Wally, who was in a recliner chair while the others practiced. With his broken arm from the mission against the Injustice League he was ordered to relax it. Although, he was reminded more than once that Miko could heal his arm, he refused since, and I quote, 'Chicks dig the cast.' "How's your arm?" asked the Captain.

"Well," Wally said unsure, "Nothing that nachos couldn't fix."

"Yes sir," Captain Marvel said off to the kitchen to make the speedster what he asked.

Kirara rolled her eyes as she curled back on Wolf's back. The wolf was lying next to the recliner chair enjoying the down time. Both canine and feline had gotten closer, despite being labeled as the cliché of mortal enemies, a strong friendship formed.

The combat training continued between; Artemis and Robin, Miss Martian and Aqualad, and Moriko and Superboy.

Even they were a couple now, neither Moriko nor Superboy held back while they were training. Although they gave each other playful looks whenever one of them got the upper hand, challenging the other to do something about it.

The more Miss Martian saw the couple at the corner of her eye, the more aggressive she got towards fighting Aqualad.

"Nice work, M`gann," Black Canary said impressed. "In fact, all of you been very productive week."

The Team stopped their training.

"All except Kid Malingerer over there," Artemis accused the speedster.

"Hey," Wally said insulted, "I'm injured," he heled up his casted arm.

Suddenly, the computer announced an arrival from the zeta tube, _"Recognized: Zatara 11." _Zatara went to the computer to authorize his surprise visitor. _"Access granted: Zatanna Zatara A03,"_ the computer announced, as a black haired teenaged girl wearing a school uniform entered the Training Room.

Zatara turned to the girl, "Zatanna, this is Team," he introduced her to the young heroes. "Team, this is my daughter Zatanna."

Miss Martian went up to the new guest, although she was furious at her cousin and Boy of Steel, she didn't want to be rude. "Hi, I'm."

"Robin," the Boy Wonder interrupted the Martian, eagerly introducing himself. "I mean uh I'm Robin, heh. Umm, that's M`gann, and that's Wally, Artemis, Kaldur, Conner and Karin."

Artemis and Moriko exchanged glances, both thinking how cute it was that Robin was obviously crushing on the new girl.

"Welcome to The Cave," Aqualad greeted.

"Thanks," Zatanna said appreciative.

"So, are you joining The Team?" Robin asked. 'Please say yes,' he pleaded to himself.

Zatara shook his head, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is strictly a visit." He turned to Black Canary, "Though I'm sorry we missed the training. I think it would have been something Zatanna could have benefited from."

Miss Martian looked to the others, _"Do you get the impression we're still on probation with Zatara?"_ she asked The Team telepathically, which unfortunately included her cousin and the Boy of Steel.

"_Not just Zatara,"_ Superboy admitted, though he didn't miss the annoyed look on Miss Martian's face. _"Why's Marvel still hanging around?"_

"_Because we like him,"_ Wally answered.

Artemis rolled her eyes, _"Only because he waits on you hand and foot." _

"_I'm more surprised that Marvel-san is actually willing to do it,"_ admitted Moriko.

"_It is almost makes one nostalgic for Red Tornado's tenure as our supervisor" _Aqualad continued.

Robin agreed, _"At least he trusted us."_

This time it was Superboy who was annoyed, _"If you ignore the fact that he betrayed us. That machine nearly got Kar-All of us killed." _Moriko smiled at how he almost admitted he was worried about her.

"Umm," Zatanna interrupted the group. "Are you guys having a psychic conversation?" Everyone turned surprised that she caught on to them. "If you are, I don't know if that's cool or kind of rude."

Zatara and Black Canary looked at The Team.

Superboy sighed, "We were talking about Red Tornado," he admitted. "It's been weeks since he attacked and the League hasn't told us anything that they've found out."

"We're still searching," Black Canary informed them, "For him, the other androids, and their creator, T.O. Morrow. It's the League's highest priority."

"But you haven't found anything," Robin pointed out.

Black Canary raised her hand to silence him, "Red Tornado is Justice League. The Team is not to pursue this."

Moriko raised a brow, 'And like that, we're all more driven to find the robot.'

"Why not take Zatanna on a tour of The Cave," Zatara suggested as he watched Zatanna fawning over Wolf and the small Kirara.

"Oh you're giving a tour?" asked Captain Marvel returning with nachos. "Cool."

Superboy had other ideas, "Actually, um, I was hoping to take Wolf outside. He needs the exercise. Kirara could use some to, don't you think?" he asked Moriko, giving her a secretive look about his intentions.

Moriko nodded at the silent message, "Right, she could definitely use it. We'll meet you outside in a few minutes."

Captain Marvel nodded eagerly, "Sure, I can do that. Come on Wolf. Come on Kirara," he called running outside, taking the plate of nachos with him, much to Wally's dismay.

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The Team walked to the kitchen all with the same thought on their minds: If the League couldn't find Red Tornado, then they'd find him themselves.

Zatanna came behind the group, wearing completely different clothes.

"When did you?" Robin asked confused on how she changed outfits.

"We're not really taking a tour are we?" Zatanna asked the group.

Superboy paused and turned to her, "No. We're going to hunt down Red Tornado." He glanced over at Aqualad to see if he objected.

The Atlantean nodded, "Yes, we are."

"What about New Girl?" Artemis asked referring to Zatanna, not knowing if they could trust her yet.

"I'm sure she won't tell," Robin assured.

Zatanna shook her head, "I won't," she said giving a mischievous smirk, "Not if you kidnap me."

Moriko's eyes widened before smirking in approval behind her scarf and opening her arms wide, "Hello, new friend," she said excited before hugging Zatanna, who smiled back at her.

Artemis smiled too, liking Zatanna's way of thinking, "Oh, she's gonna fit in great."

The Team and Zatanna rushed to the hanger bay and flew off in the Bio-Ship.

"_M`gann,"_ Black Canary called in the ships radio, _"The Bio-Ship wasn't authorized for departure." _

"We're kidnapping Zatanna!" she admitted receiving warning looks from The Team, "Umm to show her Happy Harbor. We'll be back soon."

"_Rodger that,"_ Black Canary said a little unconvinced, _"Have fun."_

Moriko gave an approved nod, "Nice work, M`gann-chan."

Miss Martian gave a flattered smile before she remembered that she wasn't happy with her cousin and turned away with a neutral look.

The action made Moriko frown behind her mask.

"Any idea of where we're going?" Robin asked The Team. "Batman is the world's greatest detective, if he's been searching for Tornado or T.O Morrow, he's checked every logical location. If we're going to do better, we need an illogical solution…a really dumb idea."

The Team all slowly turned their heads towards Kid Flash.

Normally, the speedster would have been insulted, but, "As a matter a fact, I do have one idea."

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_Belle Reve October 10, 18:35 CDT_

The Team stood in an interrogation room, starting at the much despised Professor Ivo.

"Warden Strange owed us a favor for the attempted prison break," Miss Martian explained to Ivo, "He's giving us five minutes with you."

Moriko folded her arms as she stared down at Ivo, "You're going to tell us where to find T.O. Morrow and his Reds."

Superboy cracked his knuckles, "Start talking Ivo."

Professor Ivo leaned back in his chair, "And how would I know where to find him?"

"Because you, and here's a really dumb idea, are Morrow's biggest competitor in the robot game," Kid Flash pointed out. "Who better than you, would know where he is and what he's up to?"

"Ah," Ivo said impressed, "I see your point. So I'll rephrase the question: Why would I tell you where to find him?"

"He knows" Aqualad said glaring, "Do what you must, Miss Martian."

The Martian attempted to read the professors mind.

Ivo rolled his eyes, "Please, as if I never faced a telepath before." Miss Martian glared at him with hatred.

Finally fed up with this guy, Zatanna went up to Ivo, _"Trulb tuo S'worrom eurt noitacol," _she chanted, casting a spell on the professor.

Ivo's eyes widened, "Morrow's in a secret underground base beneath Yellowstone National Park. One hundred meters south of Old Faithful," he admitted before covering his mouth, surprised that he unwillingly gave away such valuable information.

The Team stared at Zatanna in amazement, before Moriko gave a fake appreciative look towards Ivo, "Thank you for your cooperation."

The Team and Zatanna retreated to the Bio-Ship and began to head to Yellow Stone.

"Lock out all external communication," ordered Aqualad. "Soon Canary, Zatara, and Batman, I imagine, will know about our visit with Professor Ivo. We don't have much time."

Miss Martian nodded before doing what was ordered.

Superboy was getting more infuriated the closer they were to getting to Yellowstone. He wanted Red Tornado to pay for what he did to Karin. 'Nobody hurts her and gets away with it.'

"That was awesome, Zatanna-chan" Moriko praised.

Zatanna gave a look of fake modesty, "Oh stop."

Robin snickered, "Hey, I'm trying to be nonchalant here."

"Why? Be as chalant as you want," Zatanna encouraged.

Artemis and Moriko gave each other another knowing glance after hearing that. Zatanna and Robin were so much alike and it was too cute. "Umm, we just want to get a handle on your powers," Artemis told the magic wielder. "Could you teleport us to Tornado? Or Morrow to a cell? Or force his bots to surrender?"

"Or create peace on Earth, while I'm at it?" Zatanna interrupted the archer. "My dad can't even do all that, and I'm nowhere near his level. I need time to prep my magic but I can't make the impossible happen."

"Makes sense," Moriko nodded understanding.

Irritated, Superboy snarled, "What's our E.T.A. to Yellowstone? I'm way past ready to stuff Tornado into a trash compactor."

Everyone turned to the Boy of Steel, a little frightened of his rage, except Moriko, "Conner, calm down. Being angry will make you sloppy when we face Tornado-san," she reminded him.

Superboy did his best to take a calming breath.

"Are you certain that Red betrayed us?" Aqualad questioned.

Superboy turned to face his leader, "Aren't you!"

Moriko lowered her head and sighed, 'So much for staying clam.'

"I am not convinced," Aqualad admitted. "Even so, that makes him but a victim of his creator's programing. He deserve a chance to prove that he is more than the weapon he was designed to be."

Moriko looked from Aqualad to Superboy, knowing that what the Atlantean had convinced him to give Red Tornado a chance, since the Boy of Steel was in a similar situation. Superboy glanced back at Moriko, who nodded in agreement, before sighing in defeat.

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_Yellowstone National Park October 10, 20:22 MDT _

Miss Martian lowered the Bio-Ship.

"Switch to Stealth Mode," Aqualad ordered. "Zatanna, I recommend you stay behind."

The magic wilder looked at the leader curiously, "Is that an order?"

Aqualad shook his head, "No, you may do as you see fit."

"Good," Zatanna said, making up her mind, "In that case, _emit ot yrt tuo eht wen kool_." She magically changed from her civilian clothing into a female magician suit.

The Team exited the Bio-Ship and stayed behind the trees of Yellowstone, slowly making their way to Morrow's hidden location.

Robin scanned the area with his holographic wrist computer, "Something's definitely down there."

"Stay alert," Aqualad cautioned as they headed into the direction of the secret lab.

Suddenly, a burst of wind struck The Team, forcing them all to fly back ward and hit the ground hard.

Superboy was the first to recover and saw Red Tornado hovering above them.

The robot hero created five cyclones and manipulated them to surround The Team.

"Why Tornado?" Miss Martian yelled. "Why are you doing this?"

Red Tornado created more cyclones and created a tiny crater in the dirt. Miss Martian looked at the crater and noticed that the craters were actually letters.

Tornado had written a message for The Team: Play Dead.

Red Tornado was still on their side.

"_Message received,"_ Miss Martian asked The Team telepathically.

Everyone nodded.

"Who cares why!" Superboy yelled, playing the part, "Nail him!"

One by one, The Team tried to 'take down' the robot and stayed down once Red Tornado 'stopped' them.

"That was quite a performance brother," said a voice behind Red Tornado. The robot turned and saw his new little brother, Red Volcano. "But we both know that's all it was." Red Volcano gestured to the message in the sand. "Don't forget our father programed me with your memories. Plus I have a next-gen processor. I know your next move before you do."

The Team got up from the ground and stared at another Red robot, who had a symbol of a volcano on his chest.

"That can't be good," Moriko muttered.

Red Volcano lifted a large chunk of the ground that had the message written on it with his powers to manipulate volcanic properties and threw it at the young heroes.

Superboy, Moriko and Aqualad jumped into the air and broke the large rock so that it wouldn't hit the rest of The Team.

Red Tornado, knew that his brother would be a challenge for The Team. They needed help. So, he flew to the direction of the lair, knowing exactly whom to go to.

"_Is he abandoning us?"_ Artemis questioned in disbelief.

Miss Martian shook her head, _"I can't believe that." _

"You don't stand a chance against me humans," Red Volcano taunted.

Superboy and Moriko jumped into the air while Miss Martian flew in behind them, "We're not human," the trio yelled together.

"Apologies," Red Volcano lifted more of the ground with his powers. He manipulated the rocks to form giant rock hands "I suppose the proper inclusive term is," The robot used the rock hands to smash the three young heroes, "Meat Bag."

The trio fell to the ground and groaned in pain.

A few moments later, the ground began to quack. Superboy, Moriko and Miss Martian slowly got up from the ground, just in time to see a mountain have a lave eruption in front of them.

Magma began to cover the mountain, allowing Red Volcano to use the volcanic rocks against The Team.

Kid Flash looked at the volcano in a panic, _"He's activated a stage two eruption,"_ he told the team in their minds. _"If it gets to stage three, kiss the Earth's hemisphere goodbye." _

"_How are we supposed to stop a volcano eruption?" _Moriko asked the speedster in a panic.

"_By stopping the source,"_ answered Aqualad, _"Hit him at all sides."_

Aqualad and Superboy surrounded Red Volcano and went for the attack.

The robot threw huge volcanic rocks at Aqualad and grabbed Superboy's arm after he attempted to punch him and threw the Boy of Steel effortlessly.

Miss Martian tried to sneak up on the robot in camouflage mode, but Red Volcano manipulated the lava to burst in flames at her location. Leaving, the Martian trapped in a deadly ring of fire.

"M`gann-chan!" Moriko yelled in fear before she jumped through the flames to get her cousin's side. She quickly took off her fire rat kimono, luckily she was wearing a tank top underneath, and wrapped it around Miss Martian. Moriko grabbed a hold of her cousin and jumped out of the flames, away from danger.

Miss Martian looked at her cousin gratefully, the first true emotions she showed Moriko in weeks.

Suddenly, a tidal wave came behind Aqualad and struck Red Volcano, forcing him into a pool of lava.

"Nice shot," Robin praised the Atlantean.

"That was not me," Aqualad said confused on where the attack had come from.

Zatanna looked behind her and saw the source of the attack, "Look," she pointed.

The Team turned and saw Red Torpedo standing behind them.

Red Tornado knew that The Team couldn't take down Red Volcano on their own. So the robot convinced his brother and sister could aid The Team in taking down their youngest brother.

After a short battle, Red Torpedo, Red Inferno and Red Tornado managed to take down Red Volcano, by forcing him to stay down in the lava long enough for him to melt.

Unfortunately, the Red's Tornado and Red Inferno were also melted in the magma. Along with Red Tornado's legs, before Superboy managed to save him.

But The Team had other problems, even with Red Volcano destroyed, the volcano he unleashed was still erupting.

"Tornado, we're on the verge of a stage three super volcano eruption" Kid Flash informed the android, "There's no coming back from that. We need to vent pressure fast but the ash cloud will bring a worldwide nuclear winter unless you divert it!"

Red Tornado nodded understanding, with the help of Robin finding the pressure points of the volcano and Artemis creating an opening of the points with her arrows, the robot used his power over cyclones to disperse the ash cloud.

Stopping the volcanic eruption.

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_T.O. Morrow's Secret Lair: Thirty Minutes Later _

"There," said Robin fixing Red Tornado's voice box, which Morrow turned off. "That should do it."

"Yes," said Red Tornado, "I am able to speak again."

Aqualad stepped up to the leg less android, "You were going to sacrifice yourself to save the planet."

"The planet would have survived," Red Tornado corrected him, "It was humanity that was saved…but not by me. My sister and brother were the true heroes this day."

The Team silently agreed.

"My point is that you were not the mole," Aqualad told him, "You were never a traitor."

"No," said Red Tornado, "I left to protect you from further attack and to find my creator, T.O. Morrow."

Superboy looked away from Red Tornado, feeling guilty that he doubted the robot. Moriko placed a hand on his shoulder for support.

Miss Martian looked down and realized she still had the kimono wrapped around her, she took it off and handed it to her cousin. "Thank you," she said with mild gratitude.

Still, Moriko was happy to hear it, "You're welcome."

Kid Flash and Robin were looking through some nearby crates, "Sweet," said the speedster as he pulled out a robotic hand, "A souvenir."

Robin pulled out robotic legs, "Hey Red, we can rebuild you. Even better than you were before."

"I do not believe I should be repaired," Red Tornado admitted.

Superboy turned back to the robott, "Why'd you volunteer to become our den mother in the first place?"

"I was the logical choice," informed Red Tornado, "I do not require sleep. I have no secret identity or double life."

Kid Flash suddenly realized something, "But you have advanced A.I programming designed to learn, adapt, and evolve."

Miss Martian tapped her head, "Hello M`gann. Tornado wanted to become more human."

"And there was no way he could do that with the League," Artemis concluded, "They're all stiffs."

"Hey," Moriko playfully warned the archer about insulting her parents.

"So The Cave was not just a proving ground for us," Aqualad continued, "But for you as well."

Red Tornado didn't consider that, "I don't know if that statement is accurate…but perhaps it is true. And if I understand the term correctly, I've come to 'care' about you all."

Superboy smirked, "See? Practically a Meat Bag already."

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_Watchtower October 15, 2:35 EDT_

After everything with Red Tornado had been cleared up, Batman came to J`onn and Kagome about his intentions for a training exercise with The Team.

"No," Kagome said firmly to Batman and J`onn, who agreed to do the exercise. "No way, am I supporting this!"

Batman sighed at the miko's stubbornness, "The Team will be fully aware of what's happening."

"Except the part where everything they try to do will fail," Kagome argued. "They might be heroes but they're still only teenagers."

"They'll be perfectly safe, My Dearest," J`onn told his wife, "I'll make sure of it."

Kagome wasn't convinced but knew that there was no point in arguing since they'd probably go against her wishes either way. She glared at both men, "I don't like this. And I swear if anything happens to my daughter, my niece, Conner or any of them, I'm holding you both responsible."

Both men nodded in understanding and slight terrified, of the miko's threat.

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_The Cave October 16, 16:01 EDT _

The Team watched as two of the Green Lanterns approached an unidentified extra-terrestrial ship approached Earth. When the ring users asked for them to turn back, the ship blasted its cannon at the Lanterns disintegrating them.

The young heroes stared in shock…the Green Lanterns were gone.

Nearby Batman flew in a Bat-Ship and deployed, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Captain Marvel, and Captain Atom.

One by one each hero battled the weapons that the alien ship possessed.

But none succeeded.

Each of them were hit with cannon and were disintegrated.

Moriko and Miss Martian let out a breath of shock as they watched Martian Manhunter murdered before their very eyes.

A few moments later, Batman was face to face with a fleet of alien attack ships. His ship exploded when three of them fired.

Zatara appeared on the screen and looked at Red Tornado in horror "Did you see?"

"Yes," said Red Tornado, "Celestial defenses have failed. Initiate all terrestrial measures."

"Affirmative," said Zatara, "See you in the field," he said before logging offline

Red Tornado turned to The Team, "I must join the League. We will protect the planet at all cost…But should we fail, the responsibility falls to you."

The Team looked at each other standing strong, "We stand ready," Aqualad informed him.

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_A Few Hours Later_

"Ladies and gentleman," Cat Grant said on GBS News. "We've lost, Flash, Zatara, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and the Hawks. Other heroes reported dead or missing include, Batman, Icon, Miko, Atom, and Aquaman."

Moriko's breath caught in her throat, "Kaa-san," she whispered in anguish.

The Team lowered their heads in the passing of their mentors.

"_Red Tornado to Cave,"_ the robot hero called through the speakers of the computer. _"I fear I am all that remains of the League." _

Robin went to the communication board, "Red Tornado," he called to the robot, but only the sound of static was heard. "Tornado?...He's gone," he told the others.

The Earth's mightiest heroes were no more.

"We are Earth's heroes now," Aqualad told The Team.

Superboy looked to Moriko, who recovered quickly from the shock and stood proudly, 'We're their last hope,' she reasoned.

"What are we waiting for? A theme song?" Superboy asked their leader.

"A strategy," Aqualad answered. "Earth's weapons are ineffective."

"Then let's find one that's not from Earth," Moriko told him the obvious solution.

Robin went to the holographic computer to check for satellite imagery. A giant globe appeared in front of them, "The red marks are where the aliens are now." The red marks were scattered all over the globe in large quantities.

All accept one.

"Did this one get lost?" Superboy pointed to the single dot close to the North Pole.

Robin enhanced the image and checked the quadrants, "That's Superman's Fortress of Solitude."

"He has a what?" Superboy asked, unaware that Superman had such a thing.

"Yeah," Robin said looking at the grid, "The power source of the Fortress must have attracted aliens' attention, at least enough to send a scout."

Superboy snorted, "Must be some fortress."

Moriko and Miss Martian looked at him in sympathy. "Jerk to the very end," Moriko uttered an insult towards Superman. "You okay?" she asked her boyfriend.

"Its fine," Superboy said in tone that was meant to sound like he didn't care, but failed, "I guess there's a lot about Superman I'll never know."

Aqualad brought their attention back to the mission, "We will target this lone ship."

Kid Flash clenched a fist and hit his open palm, "We find it. Break it down. Make more and hit those ugly aliens with their own mojo."

Artemis smacked the back of the speedster's head, "Martian and Kryptonian in the house," she reminded him.

The speedster looked at the duo in apology, "Not that all aliens are automatically ugly."

Moriko slapped her hand to her forehead, 'You're just making it worse, Wally-kun.'

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_Superman's Fortress of Solitude_

Taking the Bio-Ship, The Team headed toward the lone alien ship that was close to the Fortress.

Artemis, wearing camouflaged snow outfit, snuck up on the alien ship with her bow ready.

In her camouflage mode, Miss Martian flew above the alien ship and pulled out an important piece of the alien ship wither her telekinesis, _"Communications disabled,"_ she told The Team telepathically. _"Propulsion disabled."_

The archer came out of her hiding place and shot her trick arrow at the entrance of the ship. _"The aliens are sealed inside." _

Aqualad made his move from under the ice caps and forced the ship to sink its top half below the ice. A laser cannon aimed for the Atlantean but was stopped thanks to Wolf and a full grown Kirara knocking the cannon to a different direction.

Kid Flash, Robin, Moriko, and Superboy all ran to the ship knowing their part. Superboy held the canon in place to keep it from firing at any of his friends. Robin quickly began to hack into the ship's system with his holographic wrist computer and find the weak points of the canon. _"There, there and there,"_ he pointed to the spots.

Moriko nodded and used her claws to slice the canon at its weak points. Superboy tried to finish the job by pulling the rest of the canon out. He didn't have time to notice the words that were ready to disintegrate him.

But Wolf did.

Fearing for his alpha, Wolf pushed Superboy away and took his place in getting disintegrated.

"_Oh Kami,"_ Moriko said horrified at what just happened. Kirara gave a sad whimper at the loss of a good friend.

"_Wolf,"_ Miss Martian cried in disbelief.

Robin looked at the system and didn't understand what went wrong, "_There was no indication of feedback…I'm sorry,"_ he told the Boy of Steel.

Superboy let out a sigh of regret, _"There's nothing we can do for him now," _he said before fully ripping the canon off with his super-strength.

Miss Martian summoned the Bio-Ship so that they could merge their new weapon on to it. _"This is going to take some time,"_ she informed The Team, _"And I'll have to de-camouflage her for a few minutes." _

With her yōkai hearing, Moriko heard something in the distance and growled, _"We got company." _

Two alien ships were coming in their direction fast.

"_Miss Martian, open fire," _Aqualad ordered.

"_I can't," _she informed, _"The weapons are off line for the merging of the new cannon." _

"_Got you covered," _Artemis began to shoot at the ships with her trick arrows. _"Get inside!" _she yelled as she began to run back to the ship.

The alien ship aimed their canon, and shot the archer in the back. Artemis screamed as she was disintegrated into nothing.

Miss Martian body went cold as she saw one of her best friends die before her very eyes, "ARTEMIS!"

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_Reality_

"_ARTEMIS!" _the voice of M`gann screamed in J`onn's mind causing him to yell and grabbed his head in pain.

"J`onn," Batman said in alarm, "What's going on?"

The Martian tried to regain his breath, "The exercise...something is wrong."

The bodies of the team members were all laying on tables, looking as if they were merely asleep.

M`gann's body began to levitate as she held onto the false reality that was created by her uncle. Unknowingly, trapping The Team in a nightmare that J`onn feared they won't awaken from, unless they acted fast.

"What's she doing?" asked Captain Marvel.

Red Tornado scanned The Team's bodies with the holographic computer, "All of The Team's brain functions are normal, accept for Artemis. The sensors indicate that her brain functions are similar to someone in a coma."

"She died in the simulation," J`onn explained, "M`gann couldn't handle what she had witnessed."

Batman cursed under his breath, "Get back in there."

"I will try," J`onn said going to his niece and entering her chaotic mind.

Captain Marvel looked at the Dark Knight knowingly, "Miko's not gonna like this."

Batman looked at The Team with worry, "I know."

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_Training Simulation_

"ARTEMIS!" Kid Flash yelled in sorrow.

Aqualad recovered from the shock, "Get inside! All of you."

The Team rushed inside the Bio-Ship and took off as fast as they could.

Once they were a safe distance reality suck in.

Artemis was gone.

"They are dead," Kid Flash vowed in fury, "Every single one of those aliens! If it's the last thing I do!" he banged the side of the ship his fist.

Miss Martian began to cry.

Moriko tried to hold it together but was failing miserably. Kirara whined and nudged her charge with her head. Moriko hugged the neko and buried her face in Kirara's neck in grief. Superboy came up behind his girlfriend and put his hand on her shoulders, wishing he could make her pain go away.

"I'm afraid that we must mourn later," Aqualad told The Team. "Now we have job to do. We must defend the Earth, and ensure Artemis's sacrifice was not in vain."

Moriko pulled back and wiped her eyes, once again finding it difficult to pull herself together.

Miss Martian attempted to do the same. "Do we head back to The Cave?"

Aqualad shook his head, "The Hall of Justice. The people must know that there is still heroes defending them…That there is still hope."

'It's hard to be that hope when you feel so helpless,' Moriko thought miserably.

As the Bio-Ship hovered over Washington D.C, they saw the United States Army trying to defend themselves against the alien fleet of ships.

Superboy jumped out of the Bio-Ship and began to smash the alien ship into the ground, while Miss Martian shot the rest with the Bio-Ship's new canon.

"I told you Superman was still alive," one of the soldiers told his friend.

Superboy glared at soldier, "I'm not Superman."

The General of the troop l walked up to the Boy of Steel as the rest of The Team exited the Bio-Ship, "I don't know who you are, son. But right now, I don't care. You got the 'S', so you got the job."

"I'm. Not. Superman," Superboy said again dejectedly.

"Tell that to the aliens," said the General before he saluted to The Team, "General Wade Eiling, U.S. Air Force."

"Aqualad, Justice League," said the Atlantean, "We will help you salvage as many alien cannons as possible. Only then can we start taking back what is ours."

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_Hall of Justice_

The mighty hall that one represented the hope for the people of the world, was now in ruins.

Miss Martian flew to the broken statues of her Uncle and Aunt, fell to her knees, and began to cry again. Moriko quickly came up behind her and hugged her in comfort as tears fell down her face too.

"They're…really gone," Robin said, finding the situation too terrible to be real.

Suddenly, a telepathic vibe made Miss Martian shutter. 'Is that…Could it be?' She quickly got up, "Moriko, stand back," she told her cousin, who looked at her confused before stepping out of the way.

Miss Martian used her telekinesis to lift up the head statue of her Uncle.

What was underneath the statue, made everyone's heart skip a beat.

It was Martian Manhunter...alive

"Outo-san!" Moriko cried in relief, as she ran up and embraced him. She couldn't believe it, 'He's alive,' she thought inhaling his familiar smell.

The Martian embraced her back, happy to see her as well. Although his head was very jumbled, as if there were a cloud around his mind.

"Uncle J`onn," Miss Martian flew over and hugged him too. All the chaos in the world was momentarily forgotten. This one miracle was enough to make it all seem less painful.

Superboy was confused, "We saw you get disintegrated. You, Superman, Miko, everyone."

Both girls helped Martian Manhunter stand up, "Yes, I remember. But, I cannot remember how I survived…or how I arrived at The Hall."

"Maybe you were density-shifting," Miss Martian suggested. Honestly she didn't care how he survived. 'As long as he's here.'

"That would make sense," Moriko agreed, "The cannons fire could have just went through you."

Robin nodded convinced, "And it scrambled your brains on the way out."

Martian Manhunter held his head, completely confused, "I'm certain, that I had to say something...Something important to tell all of you."

Kid Flash thought of a scientific reason, "Hello, Wally," he said tapping his head. He grabbed Robin and dragged him outside to confirm his suspicions.

Robin scanned the cannon of the alien fleet ship.

The canon was giving off zeta-beams. The very ones that the Justice League had used for their zeta-tubes for transporting from place to place. Making the speedster suggest that the cannon was really a teleporter.

There was a possibility that the League and Artemis was still alive.

"My Kaa-san's alive," Moriko said holding on to that tiny bit of hope.

"That must have been what you wanted to tell us," Miss Martian told her uncle excited.

Suddenly, the sound of alien fleets were approaching

"_We're on our way,"_ Aqualad informed Robin and Kid Flash, who were outside dodging the cannon fire, through the psychic link.

"_Negative,"_ said Robin, _"We can't win this."_

One of the cannon's hit the Bio-Ship, disintegrating it.

Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter screamed in pain. Moriko was immediately at their side, "M`gann-chan what happened?" she said in worry. Her cousin was in shock after the Bio-Ship was gone Aqualad took care of Martian Manhunter.

"That…didn't feel like...teleporting," Miss Martian managed to say in her shock.

"We're falling back," Robin informed The Team as he ran inside with Kid Flash, and the soldiers.

The General looked around The Hall helplessly, "We're trapped."

Aqualad looked in the direction of 'The Members Only Room', "Maybe not."

Everyone ran to the direction of the zeta-tube.

"We can teleport to The Cave by zeta-tube," Aqualad informed them before looking at Martian Manhunter, "You'll need to grant us computer clearance."

The Martian understood, "Yes, but I can only clear one person at a time."

Aqualad nodded, "Alright, send the soldiers first."

"Belay that," The General yelled, "You seven are assets we can't lose."

The Team was reluctant to agree.

The Martian walked up to the computer to be scanned, "Override: Martian Manhunter 07."

"_Recognized,"_ said the computer. _"Access Granted."_ The computer began to do its scan, _"Recognize: Miss Martian, B06."_ The Martian stepped through the zeta tube, followed by Robin.

An explosion form behind caused the rest of The Team to lose their footing.

A soldier scream caught Moriko's attention, making her turn her gaze to a soldier whose legs were trapped beneath some rubble. Without hesitating, she got up from the ground and ran to help him, with Kirara right by her side.

"Moriko," Superboy yelled running after his girlfriend.

Aqualad grabbed Kid Flash and threw him into the zeta-tube before running to help his friends.

Moriko and Kirara desperately tried to get the giant stone off, "Come on," Moriko gritted before Superboy came and helped with his super-strength. Together, they both got the stone off the wounded soldier and placed him gently onto Kirara's back.

"They go next," Superboy told Aqualad. The computer scanned both the soldier and neko, and allowed them access.

"You're turn," Aqualad told Moriko forcing her forward into the zeta-tube. Superboy followed behind her.

Aqualad turned to see the soldiers being shot one by one, he thought tactically of his next decision, "They need you more than me!" he told Martian Manhunter before pushing him inside the zeta-tube. Right before the Atlantean was shot with an alien cannon.

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_The Cave: One Hour Later _

Moriko returned with Kiara after dropping off the soldier at a hospital nearby.

"Our next mission is clear," said Robin, looking at the holographic screen. "If the aliens have been teleporting the victims."

"They are," Kid Flash said sternly. He knew that Artemis was alive. 'She has to be.'

Robin sighed, "Then the only reasonable detention facility is the mothership. Which according to these coordinates is a top of what used to be Smallville." He turned to Martian Manhutner, "Do you remember anything about this?"

The Martian shook his head no.

Robin thought of the battle plan, "We're going to need a distraction if we're going to sneak into the mothership, which will be Superboy."

"And me," Moriko informed them.

"No!" Superboy immediately protested.

Moriko glared at her boyfriend, "Conner, I'm not letting you go alone," she reasoned.

"We could use all the distraction we can get," Robin pointed out once he saw Superboy continue to give a disproving look.

Miss Martian shook her head, "No! Robin's offering you both as sacrifices," she yelled at both of them. She didn't understand why the couple was being so calm over facing the aliens, 'Don't they understand that they could die?'

"It's what Superman would do," Superboy told the young Martian simply.

"And so would my Kaa-san," Moriko told her cousin and the Boy of Steel. "I can do this," she gripped the Tetsusaiga.

Superboy didn't like the idea of Moriko being in the line of fire but knew that she would probably do it anyway no matter what was decided. "Fine," he reluctantly agreed.

Robin nodded satisfied, "The aliens will preserve them as threats and will force the aliens to deploy," he explained to the female Martian.

"Worst case, they're teleported inside," said Kid Flash in reassurance.

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_Smallvillie: Less Than an Hour Later _

The reaming members of The Team and Martian Manhunter stayed hidden near the mothership.

All were aware that here was a high chance that they wouldn't make it out of this alive.

Superboy looked massive ship before turning his gaze back to Moriko. Both of them were taking a huge risk by doing this. Although he didn't like it, Moriko still volunteered to do it without any hesitation, which made her even more heroic and beautiful in his eyes. Superboy grabbed Moriko's face to make her look at him, pulled down her mask, and kissed her passionately. 'I pray this isn't my last chance to do this,' he thought.

"Whoa," Kid Flash surprised at seeing the couple kiss. "When the hell did this happen?" he asked the Boy Wonder.

"A little after the India mission," Robin answered smirking, knowing that Superboy and Moriko were together after he accidentally saw them make-out in The Cave hallway only a few days ago.

Moriko pulled back and looked at her boyfriend firmly, trying to be strong about what they were about to do. With that strength fulling her heart, she made the decision to tell Superboy some thing she may not be able to tell him later, "Kimi wa ai shiteru, Conner," she confessed giving a small smile.

Superboy's eyes slightly widened at what he just heard. His heart beating a mile a minute as he smiled back at her before kissing her one more time, "That's good to know...Because I love you too,"

Martian Manhunter was silent as he watched his step-daughter with the boy she loved. Even with the little time they might have left, she still managed to make him feel sad that she was growing up.

Miss Martian watched the couple with tears in her eyes. After witnessing the couples love with her own eyes she finally realized just how selfish she was behaving over the past few weeks. _"Karin,"_ she called to her cousin telepathically, _"I'm so sorry." _

"_M`gann-chan,"_ Moriko tried to tell her it was alright as she walked over to her.

"_No,"_ the Martian interrupted, _"You and Conner...What you have is special and rare…I'm happy for both of you and I'm so sorry that I acted the way I did." _

Both girls embraced each other tightly, in forgiveness and possibly saying good bye.

"It's time," Robin said hesitantly breaking the moment.

Moriko nodded before walking to her step-father and hugging him,"_I love you, Outo-san,"_ she whispered sadly into his father's mind.

Martian Manhunter, hugged her back just as tightly before kissing the top of her head, "_And I love you, Dear One." _

"First team deploy," Robin ordered, knowing that they had one shot at this.

Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter flew into the air together before shifting into camouflage mode and density shifted inside the mothership.

"_We're in,"_ Miss Martian told The Team, _"You both be careful,"_ she urged Superboy and her cousin.

Superboy turned to Moriko, "You ready?"

Moriko nodded as she climbed on Kirara's back, "Let's do this," she said as Kirara flew into the air, while Superboy super-jumped towards the mothership.

Together they broke anything they could reach outside the ship. Moriko and Kirara used their claws to destroy nearby guns while Superboy grabbed one with his super-strength. "Alright you glorified trespassers! You wanna see how a 'real' alien fights!" he yelled and began to shoot around the mothership.

Suddenly, the hangers of the mothership opened and a fleet of ships came out, firing at both young heroes. Kid Flash used this chance to run with his super-speed into one of the opened hangers with Robin on his back.

Kirara dodged the aliens cannon fire easily with her charge on her back. "You want some of this!" Moriko challenged the aliens, as she reached for Tetsusaiga and drew it from it sheath.

She looked down confused when she noticed that the fang didn't transform.

'What the?' was all Moriko could think to herself before one of the fleet ships finally got a lucky shot and hit right in the chest.

Moriko screamed as she disintegrated.

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_Reality_

A beeping noise sounded on the holographic screen next to Karin.

"That can't be good," said Captain Marvel in a panic.

"What's happening?" Batman demanded, as Red Tornado looked at the holographic screen.

"Moriko's heart rate and blood pressure are increasing," the robot explained as Karin's body began to spasm. "Her mind went into shock like Artemis and Aqualad, but I don't understand why her body is reacting so erratically."

As Red Tornado spoke, Karin's body began to change.

Her nails grew longer.

Her teeth became sharper.

And purple strikes began to appear on her cheeks.

"Oh yeah, that's definitely not good," Captain Marvel said stepping back.

Suddenly Karin's eyes opened, to show they changed to a sinister red color.

"Oh no," Batman said quietly.

**Ooooh snap. This was a long chapter but this is a cliffy that too good to resist. So what do you think? Next time: Karin goes crazy, Kagome goes on a rampage, and everyone's going to need a whole lot of therapy after this. **

**Till Then My Readers**


	15. Face Your Demons

To Be a Hero

**To The Reviewers: **

**Molly Grace 16: Yeah I figured this was the only situation in the series where Karin's yōkai would be unleashed. **

**AgnetCoCo: I wasn't originally planning on that...but now I just gotta XD!**

**Jacque' la Kitsune: Yes it did and I'm glad you love it. **

**Guest 1: Honestly, that thought hadn't crossed my mind since Inuaysha's hair didn't change when he transformed. Sorry. **

**Guest 2: M`gann's love life will come...but not for a few more chapters. **

**Inu-Hanyou2016: F*** yeah she did. **

**Anime hotty lover.18: I understand. Heck, I actually cried when I saw 'Failsafe' for the first time because I thought what was happening was real. **

**ThePegasusDevice: o.o Well then...here ya go. **

**chibi-Clar: I know XD!**

**Mistress of Darkness Katana: Don't worry. There's so much more to come. **

**Kitsune's Den: Yea, I wouldn't want to be them right now. **

**Trucking girl 1109: Ask you will receive my reader.**

**Mistress Freya: *insert them song from Jaws here* **

**Applejax XD: Who's gonna call Kagome? Answer: someone who really doesn't want to. **

**Thank you so much for all the amazing reviews and zoidberg567 for your awesome support. **

Disclaimer: We know the drill. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. And I own Karin and Hitomi. So...yeah.

Chapter 15: Face Your Demons

_The Cave: October 16, 16:18 EDT _

"Get away from her!" Batman warned Red Tornado, once he saw the red in Karin's eyes.

But it was too late.

Karin jumped from the table and sliced the robot hero in half with her yōkai claws. Once she landed on the ground she snarled at the Captain and Dark Knight.

Captain Marvel held his hands up in surrender, "Take it easy, Karin."

She growled in reply, showing her sharp fangs.

Batman recalled when the League faced Inuyasha all those years ago, and how the hanyou went through a similar transformation. Kagome had explained that if a part demon being was close to death, their demon blood will dominate their body, leaving them in a rabid state of mind. 'We have to stop her before she hurts anyone.' Batman pulled out one of his Baterang from his belt and hid it behind his back.

Karin sneered at the Dark Knight, hearing the weapon being pulled from his back. 'Threat,' was all she could think as she lunged for Batman.

The Dark Knight threw the weapon at Karin, as she headed straight for him. The weapon hit her arm, but she didn't falter as her claws aimed for Batman's body. The Caped Crusader dodged the attack to avoid a fatal blow but was scratched badly on his leg.

Captain Marvel wrapped his arms around Karin in a vice grip, "Karin, snap out of it!"

Karin struggled to get out of the bind, till she sank her fangs into the Captain's hand. Causing the hero to scream out in pain and let her go.

Batman pressed his com-link, knowing only one person could help Karin now, "Batman to Miko. We have a situation."

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"_We end this now,"_ M`gann heard her uncle say before he 'killed' her. The female Martian awoke with confusion, 'Wh-what?' she thought sitting up and looked around the room. Kaldur, Artemis, Conner, Wally, Robin, and J`onn all groaned as they awoke from the training simulation. "You're all alive," she said relived but still confused.

Robin wiped his forehead with his sleeve. He was completely covered in sweat, "What happened?"

The sound of Wolf growling and Kirara hissing as she transformed to her yōkai form caught The Team's attention.

On the other side of the room, Batman and Captain Marvel were trying to contain the full blooded yōkai Karin.

"What are you doing!" Conner yelled at the League members.

Karin turned towards The Team, who saw her face for the first time.

Their eyes widened in shock. Not once had they ever seen Karin look so menacing.

J`onn, weak from the whole training sensation, looked at his step- daughter in anguish, "No."

"Karin," M`gann said anxiously, "What happened to you?"

Her cousin growled in response.

"Team. Stay back," Batman ordered as he pulled out his bollas and threw it at Karin. She ripped the wires with her claws. Her anger was flaring and her instincts were getting wilder by the minute. Karin lunged at for Batman and knocked him to the ground. The Dark Knight held her at arm's length, but she was still close enough to scratch his cheek with her claws.

"Karin cut it out!" Wally said as he used his super-speed to pull her off Batman, and into a double arm lock. Karin struggled in the speedster's hold but managed to break free and scratch the speedster on his casted arm, ripping his bandages and nicking the skin.

The Team was about to help out their friend when Kirara got in front of them and roared a warning for them to stay back. The yōkai neko didn't know what Karin will do in this state, but she refused to let any of her charge's friends to be harmed accidently.

Conner was the only one who didn't listen to Kirara's warning, as he stepped to the side of the yōkai neko and made a beeline for his girlfriend. He tackled Karin to the ground and pinned her hands to the sides of her face. "Calm down," he told her, as Karin struggled to get free. "Karin, It's okay."

The wild Karin used her lower body to push Conner off of her and get back on her feet. The Boy of Steel was surprised on how much stronger Karin was in this state.

Wolf stepped forward growled at the wild Karin. Annoyed by the noise, Karin looked over the canine and growled harshly. Wolf's ears fell back and he whimpered to the ground, showing his submission.

"Karin," Conner called getting her attention again, "We're not going to hurt you."

Karin made no sign that she was listening as she continued to growl, which made Conner more frustrated. There was only one way he knew how to make her calm down. Conner had to go into Alpha mode.

"Enough!" Conner yelled as he managed to grab Karin by both her arms and pined her to a nearby wall. The action made Karin freeze in surprise. "Submit," he ordered.

The wild Karin's red eyes widened at the order. Although she wanted to fight it, her yōkai blood couldn't help but want to comply with the orders of the dominate male in front of her. One that made her senses go wild. Karin's body relaxed as she stared into Conner's eyes, waiting for his next command.

Conner nodded satisfied, showing Karin that she pleased him, before loosening his grip.

Everyone watched the scene in front of them surprised, not sure what they were supposed to do now. Batman, however, was just waiting for the right time to make his move again.

Suddenly, the zeta tube announced a new arrival, _"Recognize: Miko 08."_

Karin growled at the noise and lowered into a defensive stance looking around for its source.

"No Karin, it's okay," Conner told her, making Karin tilt her head in question.

Kagome ran into the Training Room and absorbed the scene in front of her, before her eyes locked on to her daughters.

Karin's yōkai instincts sensed the holy powers coming from her mother and growled as she backed up against the corner of the room in a panic.

"Kar-chan," Kagome said teary eyed as she saw her daughter's red eyes.

The full blooded yōkai Karin didn't trust the miko and continued to growl.

Conner glared at Karin, trying to hold his 'authority' over her, "Stop it. You're safe," he guaranteed her, "Come here, Karin," he pointed for her to stand by his side.

Very slowly, Karin took a step forward towards Conner, trusting her dominate male.

That's when Batman made his move. The Dark Knight moved from his spot on the ground and kneed Karin hard in the stomach, knocking her out.

"What the hell did you do that for!" Conner yelled while catching Karin and lowering her to the ground.

"It had to be done," Batman gave the Boy of Steel a strong bat-glare.

Kagome ran over and kneeled down to her daughter to examine her. Slowly, the marks on Karin's cheeks began to fade, and her features returned to normal. "She'll be fine," Kagome told everyone in relief, "Her mind's going back to normal," she assured as she began to heal the wounds her daughter received.

"Could someone explain what in Einstein's name is going on?" Wally said in baffled, as he cradled his arm.

The miko looked up and glared at Batman and her husband, "That's exactly what I'd like to know."

"The exercise," J`onn admitted to The Team and his wife, "It all went wrong."

"Exercise?" Robin questioned.

Batman looked at The Team holding his bleeding arm, "Try and remember. Your whole experience…It was all a training exercise. Manhunter psychically linked the seven of you, along with Wolf and Kirara, in an artificial reality. All of you knew this going in." The Team slowly began to remember. "We didn't tell you that it was a train-for-failure exercise. Everything you'd try, would only make the situation worse. But you were still aware that nothing was real."

"That's why all of you hardly grieved, when you saw the League was assassinated" J`onn explained hesitantly. "Or when Conner lost Wolf."

Kagome didn't like where he was going and gave J`onn a hard look, "What. Did. You. Do?"

J`onn hesitated before he answered, "Artemis died in the scenario...Although she knew it wasn't real, M`gann's subconscious mind couldn't make that distinction. She forgot that it was only an exercise and her subconscious took control of the artificial reality, making The Team forget too."

Everyone turned to M`gann, who looked completely horrified at what she'd done, "I'm-I'm so sorry," she said with deep regret.

"It wasn't your fault," Kagome told her niece before glaring at Batman and her husband, knowing that they were the ones to blame.

"Why didn't you pull us out and stop the exercise?" Conner asked the male Martian.

"We tried," J`onn responded, "But M`gann held a death grip on the scenario. Even though you were supposed to awaken when you 'died' in the exercise, all of you slipped into comas...All except for Karin."

Conner looked down at the girl he loved, "What happened to her?" he asked cradling her cheek with his hand.

"Kar-chans mind thought the scenario was real...and so did her instincts," Kagome answered. "Believing that she was about to die, Kar-chan's yōkai powers suppressed her human blood in order to insure survival. Since she's never been pushed to that state of mind before, Kar-chan's real self couldn't handle that much yōkai."

"She didn't recognize us," Captain Marvel said disarrayed, "Even you, her own mother."

Kagome wasn't surprised, "It's a miracle that she even recognized her own name...If any of you kept attacking her, Kar-chan would have kept fighting until her heart stopped beating." Kagome looked over to J`onn, "What happened when you went into M`gann's mind?"

"I was overwhelmed by hers and everyone's collective emotion," he replied. "There was too much 'noise' to think clearly and remember why I was there."

M`gann covered her face in her hands in despair, 'This is all my fault,' she thought while crying. 'I did this to everyone.' Captain Marvel went to the young Martian and hugged her in comfort.

Kirara walked over to her charge and whined. Wolf came up to Karin and licked the side of her face gently.

Karin groaned at the contact.

Everyone, minus Kagome, Conner, and J`onn, braced themselves for anything.

Karin opened her eyes and saw Conner hovering over her, 'What's going on?' she wondered before a pain suddenly hit the front of her head, "What the hell happened?" Karin asked while holding her head in her hand.

That's when she smelt it.

'Blood,' she recognized as she looked at her hand and saw her fingers smeared with blood that wasn't hers. She looked up at everyone around the room and saw Batman, Captain Marvel, and Wally with injuries.

It was their blood on her claws. Suddenly, images of her attacking her mentor and friend came into her mind. Karin's hands began to tremble in horror, "Wh-what?"

"Kar-chan," Kagome said soothingly, "You need to stay calm."

"B-bu-but," Karin said in hysterics, "What-what happened? Wh-what di-did I do?"

No one answered, afraid of what would happen.

"WHAT DID I DO!" Karin yelled, still looking at her blood stained hands.

Conner instinctively wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, shushing her, "It's gonna be okay, Karin."

Karin's hands continued to tremble.

In fact everyone on The Team, minus Conner, was trembling from what they've experienced from the exercise and from when they woke up to find.

"Ge-get it off," Karin suddenly said trying to speak normally, "I need to get it off."

Conner slowly helped Karin stand up and lead her to the gym showers.

Kagome would have followed but she had a few things to settle. She stood up and made a bee-line towards Batman, staring him dead in the eye.

"Kagome I," Batman began to apologize, before the miko slapped him hard in the face.

The Team's eyes widened in shock that the miko even dared to do such a thing.

Once satisfied, Kagome made her way to Captain Marvel and Wally to heal their wounds.

J`onn slowly made his way over to his wife, "My Dearest."

"Not now, J`onn," Kagome warned her husband harshly.

Everyone winced at the miko's cruel tone.

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_Gym Shower_

Conner quickly turned on the gym shower, not caring that both of them were still clothed, and helped Karin scrub her hands clean.

"Get it off. Get it off. Get it off," Karin kept repeated over and over.

Once the blood was gone, Karin brought her fingers to her nose and cursed that the smell still remained. She fell to her knees in anguish, and tears fell down her cheeks as she scrubbed her hands again.

Conner immediately kneeled down and embraced her again, hoping to calm her down, but Karin still continued to scrub her hands.

Kagome found the couple like this a few minutes later. Conner turned when he heard the miko come in, asking with his eyes on what to do to help Karin. Kagome took a deep breath, knowing how hard this was going to be, before she walked over and turned off the running shower.

"No. No. No," Karin cried in a panic, as Conner released her from his embrace. "I have to get it off!"

"Karin," Kagome said as she knelt down and grabbed her daughter's still shaking hands, "It's all gone."

"But the smell," Karin tried to argue.

"The smell is nothing that a strong scented bowl of soba noodles won't fix," the miko assured. Kagome learned long ago that if she wanted to get of a smell that Karin detested, she had to cover it with a more pleasant one.

Karin hysterics and shaking barley lessened as she leaned over to Conner for support, "What's wrong with me?" she asked while the tears continued to go down her face.

"Nothing," Conner answered.

"I attacked my friend," Karin retorted, "I attacked my mentors...How is something not wrong with me?"

Kagome grabbed her daughters chin to force her to pay attention, "That. Wasn't. You."

"But I," she tried to argue.

"Weren't in your right mind when it happened," Kagome told her as she cupped Karin's face as she brushed the tears away. "It wasn't you...Now you say it."

It took a full minute for Karin to speak, "It wasn't me," she said weakly.

Kagome nodded satisfied before embracing her daughter and Conner, "I'm so sorry you both had to go through that."

Conner was a little surprised that Kagome was worried about him too. He was so worried about Karin that he almost forgotten the training simulation. Once the memories came back, Conner frowned.

Once they all dried off, Kagome lead Karin and Conner to the kitchen and prepared the soba noodles that she had promised. As she cooked, the miko had re-explained to Karin why she had lost control to her yōkai. "Here you go," Kagome said, placing both bowls in front of the teenagers.

"Thanks," Conner said but didn't touch it. He was facing Karin, who was sitting next to him, still concerned for her.

Karin stared into her bowl of food, as if mystified by its contents, but in reality, her thoughts were contemplating what her mother had just explained. The details her mother had described made a vague memory from Karin's past surface.

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_Karin's Memory_

_Karin was six years old, playing with some toys on the floor when J`onn density shifted from the floor of the room her Tou-san had put her in. _

_"J`onn-san," Karin said happily once she recognized J`onn's form and ran up to hug him._

_The Martian smiled and hugged her back, "Hello, Dear One. I'm here to take you home."_

_Karin pulled back, "Okay, but can Tou-san come with us too?" she asked innocently._

_Before J`onn could respond he felt several sharp pains in his back and screamed in agony. He turned to see a furious Inuyasha with sharp bloodied claws._

_Karin was shocked saw and smelt blood, "Tou-san!" she cried, "Why did you do that, Tou-san?" Tears began to fall from her face as she saw J`onn kneeling to the floor in pain._

_"He's here to take you away from me," Inuyasha growled, as J`onn looked up and saw the hanyou's disturbing red eyes._

_"I am taking her back to her mother," J`onn swore to the hanyou. _

_Inuyasha's face became more sinister as he lunged at the Martian, who became phased again so the hanyou passed right through him. Inuyasha quickly recovered but still managed to damage the majority of the room with his claws, which grew longer and sharper._

_That didn't matter to J`onn, as he punched Inuyasha in the face with his super strength with enough force for the hanyou to crash through two walls of the house._

_Karin watched completely terrified, as her crying grew louder. _

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_Present_

"Tou-san," Karin said before looking to her mother, "What I went through...it happened to Tou-san ten years ago."

Kagome nodded hesitantly, as she sat down at the table, "Yes it did...I had hoped we'd never have to bring this up again."

"Was I like that today? How Tou-san was when he attacked Outo-san," Karin asked with a hint of fear.

The miko shook her head, "No, Kar-chan. When Inuyasha transformed it was much worse. He attacked people just because he wanted to and he could never recognize anyone, including himself. You fought only when you were persisted by others and Conner was able to calm you down."

Karin turned to the Boy of Steel, "You did?" she asked before the memories began to come back, "You did," she stated trying to hide her blush. 'He made me submit again...With other people watching,' she thought embarrassed

Conner rubbed the back of his head, just as self-conscious.

Their actions reminded Kagome of a very important matter, "So, when exactly did you two start dating?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"Kaa-san!" Karin said mortified. Oddly enough, her mother's teasing made her feel a little bit better about everything.

"Oh hush, I have a right to know these things," the miko argued.

"Since when?" her daughter challenged.

Kagome put her hands on her hips, "Because I brought you into this world, Missy. That's why."

Conner slowly smirked as the two women continued bickering. It was the first time that Karin started to act normal and he was grateful for that. Unfortunately, that allowed the Boy of Steel to focus on his inner turmoil of what happened in the training exercise and how he felt after seeing the League, his friends, and Karin all died in front of him. 'Why?' he thought to himself, 'Why did I feel that way towards the end?'

"Umm," M`gann said as she entered the kitchen. Everyone turned to her but the Martian's eyes stayed on Karin. M`gann saw the puffiness in her cousins eyes, which made the Martian begin to cry all over again. She rushed to Karin, fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her cousin's mid-section, "I'm so sorry, Karin. For everything I did...I'm so sorry."

Karin embraced her cousin back, "I know, M`gann-chan. I know."

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_A Few Hours Later _

Kaldur was in his assigned room inside The Cave.

The whole day had been mentally, physically and emotionally draining.

Kaldur couldn't handle this alone... It was too much.

The Atlantean reached for his cell phone and hit a number he put on speed dial not too long ago.

The person on the other line answered, "Moshi moshi."

"Hitomi," he said with all the strength he could muster, given how much of a failure he felt like after the whole ordeal with the exercise.

"Kaldur-kun? What's wrong?" Hitomi asked concerned by his tone.

Kaldur didn't even know where to begin, "Everything."

Hitomi could actually feel the hurt in his voice, "Tell me."

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_Higurashi Shrine _

Kagome had just put Kou`ki down for a nap.

J`onn had attempted to speak with her several times since they've been home. Both telepathically and out loud. And every time, his wife refused to speak to him.

This isn't the first time that the Martian has seen Kagome angry but it is the first time that her anger has been directed towards him.

Kagome passed by J`onn in the hallway, once again avoiding eye contact with him. "My Dearest, please," he begged as he grabbed his wife's wrist.

The miko halted, and for the first time since The Cave she looked J`onn in the eye. "What, J`onn?" she said finally speaking to him.

"I'm sorry," he apologized for the fiftieth time.

"For what?" Kagome asked pulling her wrist back. "For not listening to me? For lying about keeping the girls and The Team safe? Or are you sorry for what you did to our daughter?" she listed.

J`onn winced as she listed all the reasons on why he should apologize. "Kagome," he tried to explain himself.

"I warned you, J`onn," she interrupted. "I warned you and Batman and neither of you listened. Now we have seven traumatized teenagers to deal with. And it's your fault!" she told him before walking away, leaving her husband speechless.

The miko walked all the way to the Goshinboku, trying to calm down. Kagome she knew she was being harsh towards her husband but it wasn't about who was right or wrong anymore, it was about what happened to Karin and the rest of The Team.

Kagome felt her phone vibrate and lifted it from her pocket to see who was calling. She was surprised when she read the caller I.D, before her annoyance resurfaced. "What, Bruce-san?" she answered, not bothering to be polite.

"Kagome," Bruce said in a tone that was full of repentance. He couldn't apologize for what had happened. If given the chance, he would do the exact same thing again. However, he regretted what had happened to Karin in the process. "What can I do?" he asked, wanting to find some way to help.

The miko hadn't expected this type of reaction, especially, from Bruce. It took all she had not to tell the Dark Knight to 'Go to Hell,' But she had another idea, "You want to make things right?"

"Yes," Bruce answered without hesitation.

"Then listen to me carefully," Kagome said before telling Bruce her demands.

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_The Cave October 23, 17:21 EDT _

The Team sat in the Sitting Room awaiting what they've been dreading for the past couple of days.

Therapy.

J`onn, the repaired Red Tornado, and Captain Marvel all watched all the young heroes on the holographic monitors in the Mission Room.

"How are they?" Batman asked once he arrived from the zeta-tube.

"Even I'm still shaken what you and I wrought," J`onn informed the Dark Knight. "I can only imagine how The Team fares."

Batman sighed expecting as much, but still, "I'd hoped they'd would have rallied by now."

"Don't let Miko hear you say that," Captain Marvel warned, "Unless you want to get slapped again."

J`onn lowered his gaze at the mention of his wife, who was still being distant with him. "Black Canary has her work cut out for her with The Team," he told them.

"And Karin?" Batman questioned.

"She's slowly recovering," J`onn informed him, "Though a part of her is still troubled. She fears that if she's backed into a corner again, that her yōkai will re-emerge."

Batman nodded, once again expecting as much, "That's why she's not going to talk to Black Canary." The heroes looked at the Dark Knight confused, "Her situation requires a different tactic."

Captain Marvel looked at the Dark Knight in disbelief, "After this whole fiasco, you're plotting something again. Miko's gonna be furious when she finds out."

"It was her idea," Batman informed him, "Miko said I owed it to Karin to allow...'him' to come speak with her." The Dark Knight inwardly dreaded on having to get the man in question involved at all.

J`onn's eyes widened, knowing that Batman could only be referring to one person, "Is that wise?"

Batman rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I have no idea."

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_Therapy Session _

"_I can only imagine how you feel,"_ Black Canary told Conner.

'She doesn't know anything,' the Boy of Steel thought as he stormed out of his therapy session and into the Sitting Room.

Everyone was startled by Conner's actions as he headed towards the Hanger Bay.

Karin sighed as she got up from her seat to follow him, with Wolf and the small Kirara following them. "Conner?" she called out to him.

"Leave me alone!" he yelled harshly. Karin stopped, surprised by his tone. Realizing he went too far, Conner stopped and turned back to her, "I'm sorry. It's just."

"Its fine," Karin said in sympathy, before they continued to walk to the Hanger Bay. "Where are you going?"

"I just need to get away...I need to clear my head," he admitted.

Karin nodded understanding, "Okay."

Conner looked at her surprised, "You're not going to stop me?"

"Well, you're not really gonna get any privacy here," she answered smiling. "Just don't do anything stupid," she teasingly threatened him.

Conner smirked and hugged her, 'This chick gets me,' he quoted Icicle Junior.

Sphere came up to them and started beeping

"No Sphere, you can't go," Conner told him as he let go of Karin

The Sphere began to vibrate before his circular shell opened and became a high tech, three wheedled Super-Cycle.

Conner, Karin, Wolf, and Kirara's eyes widened in shock.

"Well that's new," Karin finally managed to say.

Conner nodded in agreement before he hopped onto the back of the Super-Cycle, where the handle bars were, while Wolf hopped into the front seat eagerly. "I won't be long," he promised.

"Do what you have to," Karin said before she leaned up and kissed him. "And just so you know, you're taking me out for a ride on Sphere when you get back."

Conner smirked and kissed her again. "You got it," he replied, as he powered up the Super-Cycle and headed out the door. At first they were on the ground, but he was surprised when he was soon flying in the air.

Kirara meowed shaking her head.

"I know, what a show off," Karin teased while picking up the neko. "Don't worry your boyfriend will be back soon," she joked about Wolf, which made Kirara glare at her.

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_A Few Hours Later_

After Artemis, Wally, Kaldur, and Robin were done with their sessions. None of them really felt like talking to each other.

Once, M`gann walked out into the Sitting Room once her session was over, Black Canary followed right behind her.

"My turn," Karin said unenthusiastically.

Black Canary stopped her, "No Karin. You're not doing a session with me."

Everyone looked at the canary caller surprised. "But Batman made a therapy session mandatory," said Kaldur.

"She'll get her session," Black Canary assured, "Just not with me."

"Then with who?" Wally asked.

Suddenly, the computer announced new arrivals in the zeta tube, "_Recognize: Miko 08. Hitomi Medea A02. Sesshōmaru Tashio A01_."

Karin's eyes widened, "Nani?' she said so surprised that she couldn't speak English.

"Sesshōmaru Tashio?" Robin muttered knowing the name was familiar before he gasped in realization, "Wait, 'The' Sesshōmaru Tahiso. As in the CEO of Tahsio Corp. What's he doing here?"

"He's Karin's uncle," Kagome answered as she walked into the Sitting Room, with Hitomi at her side.

The kitsune hanyou quickly ran to Karin, giving her a tight hug. For once, Karin didn't complain about how Hitomi was holding her too tight.

The Team heard another person coming down the hallway and turned to find Sesshōmaru as he entered the room. The CEO that they've seen in the papers or files did not look like the man standing before them. This man, this demon lord, had long silver hair that went down to his knees, markings on his cheeks, amber eyes just like Karin's, and a purple crescent moon on his forehead. Even though he didn't look strong, his posture screamed authority and power. It was enough to make the young heroes gulp nervously.

Karin gently nudged Hitomi off her, "What are you doing here?" she questioned her uncle.

The yōkai glared, "This Sesshōmaru is insulted. He was expecting a warm welcome from his only niece," he said emotionlessly.

Realizing her rudeness, Karin straightened up her posture and bowed politely, "Hello Sesshōmaru Oji-sama," she greeted, "It is good to see you again. I hope you have been faring well."

"Ojii-sama," Hitomi said appalled, "Please don't be so harsh towards her."

"This Sesshōmaru has come to offer his assistance due to the concerned mother of my niece," he informed his granddaughter. "If the miko had wished for Karin to be treated like glass, she shouldn't have consulted to this Sesshōmaru."

Hitomi lowered her head and gaze in submission, "My apologize, Ojii-sama," she said stepping away from Karin, getting close to Kaldur.

Wally leaned down to whisper to Robin, "Why is he talking like that?"

"I don't know. You ask him?" the Boy Wonder whispered back.

"No way," Wally replied intimidated.

Sesshōmaru's gaze turned to the boys, "Do you wish to ask something of this Sesshōmaru?"

Both boys gulped and shook their heads. "No," said Robin, who received a glare from the yōkai. "Sir," he added out of distress.

"Onii-sama, stop intimidating Karin's friends," Kagome said irritated, "That's not why I asked you to come." Everyone was surprised how relaxed the miko was behaving to this very daunting yōkai lord.

"Perhaps, the rest of The Team and I should go," suggested Black Canary.

"No," said the yōkai lord, "From this Sesshōmaru's knowledge, my niece's worries involve her team as well. However, since your presents is not required, you may go."

Black Canary normally would have gone off if anyone spoke to her that way, but since she wanted to remain on the Sesshōmaru's good side, she simply nodded and exited the room.

Sesshōmaru turned his gaze back to Karin, "This Sesshōmaru was told of this 'training exercise' that you participated in, which released your yōkai form."

"Hai," Karin answered, haven't moved from her position and kept her gaze down.

"And?" Sesshōmaru asked as if he didn't see the problem.

Karin hesitated to answer, "I-I attacked my mentors and my friend. They're my pack...and attacking them is both dishonorable and inexcusable." She only had spoken to her uncle this way during her training with him on her yōkai. If she was in any way disrespectful, his training would be stricter.

"Indeed it is," the yōkai replied, "And yet, here your pack stands beside you." He gestures to how her team mates stayed close by her in support. "Are you afraid that they will abandon you, Karin?"

"We would never do that to her," Kaldur exclaimed with loyalty.

Instead of a scolding gaze, Sesshōmaru actually gave an approved look over Karin's friend's allegiance.

Karin shook her head at Sesshōmaru's question, "No, Oji-sama. That's not my concern."

"Are you afraid you'll harm them?" the yōkai asked casually, "Or kill them?"

This made Karin's body shake with anxiety, "...Hai."

"Cease your trembling," Sesshōmaru ordered, "Remember what you've been told about showing fear."

Karin willed herself to stop her body from shaking, "Hai, Oji-sama."

Artemis winced, _"Geez, this guy is so...cold,"_ she commented to The Team through their mind link.

"_That's putting it mildly,"_ said Wally, "_Why is he being so harsh?"_ he asked M`gann.

The Martian shrugged, _"I don't know. This is my first time meeting him." _

"_Actually,"_ Karin interjected, _"This is him being concerned." _

The yōkai turned to The Team, "This Sesshōmaru requests that you refrain from using your psychic conversation at this time."

Kaldur raised a brow, impressed that the demon caught that, "He is good."

"You have no idea," Hitomi told him.

Sesshōmaru took a few steps toward Karin and lifted her chin up so she'd look at him, "Your fear is meaningless, Karin."

Karin almost glared at her uncle but years of experience kept her compelled, "In my yōkai form, I attacked my friend and mentors," she stated. "People I care about were harmed...I could have possibly done a lot worse. And you're saying that my fear of doing something so unforgivable has no meaning?"

"So then," Sesshōmaru said lowering his hand and stepped back a few paces, "From my understanding, you believe your unforgivable act deserves a penance."

Karin's eyes widened in horror at what her uncle was getting at, "Umm," was her only reply.

"Well then," Sesshōmaru's held up his three fingers, which began to glow, "Allow this Sesshōmaru to oblige in your request." The yōkai motioned his fingers forward to release his poison whip.

Karin jumped and flipped backward to dodge the attack.

The Team all backed up from the sudden assault, "Dude, what the hell!" complained Wally.

"Is he insane?" Artemis yelled.

"The League suspects," Kagome replied unconcerned, as she sat on the bar of the kitchen.

"Aren't you going to stop him?" Robin questioned, as he pointed to how Sesshōmaru kept using his whip on Karin, who was dodging and blocking the attacks as fast as she could.

The miko folded her arms as she continued watching, "Just wait...This is for Kar-chan's own good." Kagome wasn't worried about Sesshōmaru harming Karin unnecessarily. Despite his methods, she knew that Karin needed a push that she, J`onn, and the League couldn't give her.

Hitomi's fist clenched, allowing her claws pierce the inside of her palms. It was the only way to keep herself from jumping in and aiding Karin. Obviously her aunt was too freighted to defend herself, afraid that her yōkai would surface and harm those she cares for. And it was because of those reasons, that Sesshōmaru was attacking Karin now.

Kaldur noticed Hitomi's distress and gripped his hand over her closed one. "Do you believe that this will help her?" It took a moment for the hanyou to nod yes in response. "Then I trust your judgment," he told her. His words made Hitomi's hand relax.

Karin dodged another attack as she ran down the hallway and into the training room, where Batman, J`onn, Captain Marvel and Red Tornado backed up to allow the fight to commence. They've been watching the whole encounter on the monitor and were aware that this was necessary.

Sesshōmaru ran after down the hall, "Why do you run Karin? Are you too cowardly to face this Sesshōmaru?"

Karin turned to her uncle with pleading eyes, "Please stop," she begged.

"You can make this stop, Karin," the yōkai lord reminded her, "You have the power to do so."

She shook her head, "I can't," she said afraid.

The Team, Kagome, and Hitomi entered the Training Room.

"You can," Sesshōmaru used his whip again.

Karin closed her eyes and held her arms up to protect her face from the poison. She winced as her skin burned from the contact. When Karin's eyes opened again, they were red.

Her yōkai had reemerged.

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J`onn stepped forward to intervene but was stopped by Kagome, who came up next to him. "Don't," she warned, "Sesshōmaru Onii-sama knows what he's doing."

"This is getting out of hand," J`onn said in fear for his step-daughter.

Kagome shook her head, "Kar-chan can't go on a mission scarred that she'll transform, J`onn. She needs to conquer her yōkai and Sesshōmaru Onii-sama is the best person to help her overcome her fears."

The Martian sighed, knowing that his wife was right. "It just...pain's me that it's come to this...I should have listened to your wishes."

Kagome turned to J`onn, knowing that he'd learned from his mistake, _"I know you didn't mean for it to happen," _Kagome admitted in his mind, surprising him. _"And I know how sorry you are...Koibito."_

J`onn gasped in relief before he reached for his wife's hand and squeezed it, knowing that Kagome was starting to forgive him.

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Karin's mind began to panic with the remaining consciousness she had, 'No...Not again,'

"Don't fear your yōkai, Karin," Sesshōmaru urged her, "It is a part of you. Therefore, you are its master." She growled in reply as if him questioning how she was supposed to do that. "Focus, Karin," he ordered.

It took Karin a few minutes to make herself figure out how to focus and get a hold of herself. 'Keep it together,' she thought, trying to center herself on something that will help her stay in control.

That's when the perfect person came to her mind.

'Conner,' she realized. Thinking about him always calmed her down immensely. Even through all the hard missions and bad days, Conner made everything better.

Karin took a calming breath, making her consciousness become more controlled. Her eyes began to turn back to normal, but the purple strips still remained on her face.

Sesshōmaru smirked, "How does it feel?" he asked his niece.

Karin looked at her extended claws, feeling her strong yōkai thorough her veins. The chaotic mind that took control of her before was quiet, although she could still feel its presence. 'Still, it's a big improvement. I haven't felt this in control in days,' Karin thought happily. She turned to her uncle more relaxed, "It's different," she finally answered.

The Team let out a breath of relief. All of them smiled at how Karin looked more settled then the last time she transformed.

"Now, try pulling the power back," Sesshōmaru ordered. It took close to seven minutes for Karin's claws to shrink and her purple strips to disappear. "You will master this ability the next time you train with this Sesshōmaru."

Karin nodded, feeling so relieved that she felt like she was in control of herself again. She was so happy that she ran up to her uncle and hugged him fiercely, "Arigatou gozaimasu, Sesshōmaru Oji-sama."

Five hundred years ago, the yōkai lord wouldn't have allowed anyone to do such a thing. But today, he gave her a one armed hug, "I did nothing, Karin. Everything was of your own doing."

Kagome got teary eyed, as she saw how happy Karin was now. She leaned her head into J`onn's shoulder, _"I knew she could do it."_

"_Her strength does come from her mother,"_ J`onn reminded her.

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_The Beach of Mount Justice: Half an Hour Later_

"Your grandfather is...quite intimidating," Kaldur admitted to Hitomi as they walked around the shore line.

The kitstune hanyou nodded, "Yeah, he's always been that way. But, I love him...How are you, Kaldur-kun?" she asked concerned.

"I am still troubled," he admitted. "My actions in the exercise cost The Team their leader."

Hitomi grabbed his hand and tapped it, "No more letting yourself be shot by aliens for you, mister."

Kaldur snickered for a moment, "You make it sound so simple."

She pulled his hand to make them stop, "It's not. What you did was brave, although it was a tad stupid," she admitted. "But it came from a good place in your heart. You can't deny that."

The Atlantean smiled at her. When he had made the decision to stay behind at the Hall of Justice, many things went through his mind. Mostly of regrets that he had yet to do with his life. One of them being how he waited too long to tell his first love of his feelings, and she ended up choosing another. But right now, that regret didn't matter to Kaldur anymore. Since, there was one regret that stood out above them all. "When I awoke from the exercise, I promised myself something."

Hitomi tilted her head, "What's that?"

Kaldur slowly put his webbed hand on the hanyou's cheek, "That I would not hesitate to do this," he confessed before lowering his lips to hers.

Hitomi responded to his kiss without any hesitation as she wrapped her arms around his neck, while mindful of his gills. Kaldur wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her closer to him. Hitomi smiled when they pulled back from their first kiss, "What took you so long?" she asked him with mock seriousness.

The Atlantean lowered his forehead to hers, as he smiled back, "My apologies for the wait."

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_Hanger Bay_

Karin waited patiently, with Kirara at her side, for Conner to return. When the Hanger Bay doors opened, she smiled at her boyfriend as he rode in on the Super-Cycle. "Welcome back."

The Boy of Steel hoped off the Super-Cycle and ran to Karin excited, "You're not going to believe the night I had."

"Same here," she replied, "But first, there's someone I want you to meet." Karin grabbed his hand and dragged him to the Sitting Room.

"What happened here?" Conner asked looking at the damages.

Karin looked sheepish, "Umm, this was partly my fault. But to be fair it was mainly his," she pointed to her uncle. "Conner, this is my uncle Sesshōmaru. Oji-sama this is my boyfriend, Conner."

Sesshōmaru locked eyes with the Kryptonian clone and glared at him. He was told of what Conner had done to help Karin and the yōkai had to be sure that the Kryptonian was worthy of his niece.

Conner immediately glared back at the yōkai. Sesshōmaru was challenging him with his gaze and the Boy of Steel unknowingly accepted, as they fought in a battle of wills.

Sesshōmaru had to admit that he was impressed on how Kryptonian didn't falter to challenge him and didn't back down so easily.

After a few more minutes of glaring, Sesshōmaru turned his gaze to his niece, "Karin."

"Hai Oji-sama," she asked curiously, being quiet throughout the 'challenge.'

Sesshōmaru glanced back at Conner, "Do as you so choose."

Karin gave a wide smile. In his own way, Sesshōmaru gave his approval of Conner. She bowed in gratitude, "Arigatou gozaimasu, Oji-sama."

The yōkai lord turned and walked away to the zeta-tube.

Conner turned to Karin a little unsettled, "Interesting guy."

"Yeah, that's always been his problem," Karin joked, "So, what happened while you were out?"

"I realized a few things," he told her, "One of them is that Sphere is actually a girl."

Karin raised a brow, "Okay, you have my attention."

"I'll tell you everything...But I have to talk to Black Canary first," he said hesitantly.

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_Karin's Room: One Hour Later_

Karin sat with her legs crossed on her bed as she watched Conner pace in front of her. She could tell he was trying to tell her something that was difficult to admit. The anticipation was killing her, but Karin knew that she had to be patient with him

Conner didn't realize how hard this was going to be. Sure he told Black Canary but this, was completely different. He finally stopped pacing and faced Karin, who was looking at him with no form of judgment.

"I...I was happy," Conner finally admitted. Karin tilted her head confused but stayed silent since she knew he wasn't done yet. "In the training exercise, when we volunteered to be a distraction...When I died I felt...at peace," he said using the same words he told Black Canary. "Because for the first time in my life, I knew what it was like...to be just like Superman." He was for Karin's reaction, for her to scream at him or something worse.

"Well, that's understandable," she said surprising him.

Conner raised a brow, "Understandable? Karin I watched all of our friends die! The League! I abandoned you! And you're saying it's understandable?"

Karin was unaffected by his yelling, and she got off the bed to stand in front of him. "You didn't abandoned me, Conner. You were fighting by my side the whole time...And you know what? I was happy too," she admitted grabbing his hands. "I spent my entire childhood watching my Kaa-san and Outo-san fight in the League. I wanted to be just like them. And in the exercise, I got that chance...I was willing to give up my life in order to save everyone because that what a hero does."

Her confession left Conner speechless. All this time he felt guilty for feeling like he did, and here Karin was feeling the exact same way.

Karin wrapped her arms around Conner's waist, embracing him. He immediately hugged her back, "It's okay," she told him, "I feel the same too."

Conner smiled at Karin's words and kissed the top of her head, before he remembered something important that happened in the exercise. "So...You love me, huh?" he asked hopeful.

Karin gave a huge smile as she turned her head up to look into Conner's eyes, "Yeah. You want to do something about it?" she challenged in a teasing tone.

Conner lightly snickered, "Yes, I do," he said before kissing Karin with all the love his heart could muster, which she returned just as fiercely.

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_Meanwhile In Tapei _

"The Light has come to a decision," Ra's al Ghul told the yōkai that kneeled before him, "We will aid you in your plan, Lord Daiki."

The yōkai gave a sinister smile. Daiki was a tall tengu male, with pale white skin, sleeked back black hair that reached his lower back, and was wearing a silk black robe that was covered with silver bird stitching. "I am appreciative to have the Light's support," Daiki said appreciative before he rose from the ground to walk to the opened window to stare into the night sky. He allowed the wings on his back to open to feel the moon's light on his feathers, "Soon I shall have my revenge against the traitor's blood line and take my rightful place as the ruler over the human race, as I had envisioned over six hundred years ago."

Ra's al Ghul looked at his new ally with a neutral expression. This wasn't the first demon he'd come across or worked with, but he was by the far the most determined.

**Who else loves cliffys? (No one raises their hands) Yeah, I figured. On the upside, Kaldur and Hitomi finally got together. And Sesshōmaru finally made his appearance *fan girl squeal.* Just a little FYI Lord Daiki is mine. So what do you think? Next time: Grown-ups all over the world have disappeared ...Or was it the children? **

**Till Then My Readers**


	16. Gone

To Be a Hero

**A humongous thanks to chibi-no-baka, Molly Grace 16, Guest(1), Guest(2), Guest(3), Mistress of Darkness Katana, Inu-Hanyou2016,****chibi-Clar, Nymphadora Jackson, sverhei,****Kitsune's Den, Anime hotty lover.18,****Gaara's-wife24, and Applejax XD for the support that keeps me inspired. **

Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Blah blah blah Young Justice belongs to Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network. Blah blah I own are Karin/Moriko, Kou`ki, and Hitomi. Blah blah blah Please don't sue.

Chapter 16: Gone

_Bio-Ship Entering Hanger Bay: November 5, 19:47 EDT_

"Wow. Just...wow," was all Karin could say when she saw the pictures of Conner wrapped up in some white bandages on his cell phone. By the look on his face, he wasn't happy in the choice of costume. "So, what exactly were you supposed to be?" she asked her boyfriend trying her best not to laugh.

Conner grabbed his phone back, "I was supposed to be a mummy...It was M`gann's idea." The Martian had invited the entire team to her school's Halloween dance. Unfortunately, Karin had school, and Kaldur and Robin were busy with their mentors that night. Artemis and Zatanna were supposed to go too, but they changed their minds the last minute. "She so owes me a favor after dressing me up like that."

Karin gave an appreciative smile, "It was sweet of you to do it though," she said before kissing him as a reward for his good deed.

"You know, we could use some help here," Wally reminded the couple as he began to drag one of the many heavy boxes they had on the Bio-Ship.

Karin pulled back and gave the speedster a playful glare, "You're just jealous."

"Hell yeah," Wally complained, "Any guy who didn't get you would be, Pretty Eyes."

Conner rolled his eyes and lifted one of the heavy boxes over his shoulder. After The Team found out about him and Karin being together, Wally brought down his flirting with Karin down to a minimum. Although, the speedster had claimed eternal dibs on his nick name 'Pretty Eyes', despite Conner's protest.

Karin helped Wally with his box, while M`gann levitated the remaining ones with her telekinesis.

Red Tornado, Batman and Zatara were waiting in the hanger bay, along with Robin, Aqualad, Artemis and Zatanna.

"Did you get everything?" asked Batman.

M`gann nodded, "Everything on your list. Plus groceries," she added.

Wally looked at the Martian with hopeful eyes, "Cookie fixings?"

"Snickerdoodles," she told him, knowing he'd be pleased.

"Babe, you rock my world," Wally said dazed at M`gann.

Karin elbowed the speedster's side. "Just because I'm taken, doesn't mean you automatically get my cousin, Wally-kun."

"You know, you can be a real bitch sometimes, Pretty Eyes," Wally said with a pout as he rubbed his now sore arm.

"Only a quarter," Karin retorted, making the young people around her snicker.

Suddenly, without any warning, Batman, Red Tornado, and Zatanna vanished before the young heroes eyes.

"Dad!" Zatanna yelled horrified.

Karin automatically sniffed the hanger bay for any signs of foul play and came up with nothing. All signs of the adults, including their scents, were just gone. 'How is that possible?' she wondered.

"What the hell just happened?" Artemis asked everyone.

Robin, Wally and Kaldur hit his com-links trying to reach their mentors while Karin tried to call her mother on her cell phone, since she wasn't on duty today.

"Nothing," Robin swore, "Any luck?"

Karin shook her head and growled in frustration, "No."

The Team looked at each other at a loss.

What were they supposed to do now?

Suddenly, Karin's cell phone began to ring. She sighed in relief when she saw the number for the Higurashi shrine, "Kaa-san," she said when she answered the call. On the other end of the line she could hear the sounds of someone crying and sobbing. "Kou`ki?" Karin said recognizing her little brother's whimpering, "Kou-chan, what's wrong?"

The Team looked at Karin alarmed at why her four year old brother was calling her.

It took a minute for the half Martian boy to calm down and respond, "Onee-san...Kaa-san...Outo-san...They're gone," Kou`ki cried.

Karin gasped but tried her best not to alarm her little brother, "It's okay. Don't be scarred, Kou-chan. I'm on my way to get you. Just stay on the phone till I get there, okay?"

Kou`ki sniffled, "Okay...Onee-san."

Karin pressed her phone to her shoulder, "My parents vanished too," she told her teammates, "Kou`ki's all alone."

"Go," Kaldur gave her permission to pick up her brother.

"Thank you," she said before ran to the zeta-tube. 'What the hell is going on?' she wondered on how this could have happened. 'And where are my parents?'

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_Higurashi Shrine_

"Kou`ki!" Kagome ran around the shrine grounds looking for her son in a panic. One minute she and J`onn were in the yard playing with their son, the next Kou`ki disappeared right in front of their eyes. "KOU`KI!" the miko screamed going into the main house.

J`onn immediately began to search the area psychically with his mind. There was no sign of Kou`ki anywhere. In fact, from what the Martian could understand from the minds he could sense in their neighborhood: All children were missing.

Kagome ran back outside, having failed to find any trace of Kou`ki in the house. "Where is he?" she asked her husband in hysterics.

"I can't find him," J`onn regretted to tell her.

The miko cursed in Japanese, "What did this, J`onn?...Who did this?"

"_Batman to Martian Manhunter and Miko,"_ the Dark Knight said through the League's com-links.

"Go ahead," J`onn answered quickly

"_The Team has disappeared from The Cave,"_ Batman told the couple, _"Right in front of our eyes." _

Kagome's eyes widened in fear, "So did Kou`ki," she informed the Dark Knight. First her son now the girls were gone too. "Batman, what in the world is going on?" she asked hoping he would have an idea.

"I don't know," he answered. "But from the reports the Watchtower is receiving over the past ten minutes, children all over the world under eighteen have vanished."

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_The Cave: Over an Hour Later _

Kou`ki was crying severely into his sister's shoulder, _"Kaa-san...Outo-san,"_ he cried to her telepathically. The little half Martian stuck to Karin like velcro since she came back from the Higurashi Shrine.

"I know, Kou-chan. I know," Karin said shushing her little brother as she held him in her arms. "We're going to find out who did this."

"_Don't leave me, Onee-san,"_ Kou`ki begged her.

Karin kissed the top of his head in comfort, "I won't." She glanced over at Robin and Zatanna who were trying to find out all they could on what was going on outside The Cave.

Wally, Artemis, Conner and M`gann left, when it became clear that all the adults were gone in Happy Harbor, to gather the children too young to take care of themselves in the area. They also spread the word to the older teenager's that the school gym would be a safe haven for those who couldn't find their siblings or other family members. And of course, they had to keep the peace with certain groups of kids who decided to run wild since there were no adults to stop them.

"Did you find anything?" Karin asked the Boy Wonder and female magician.

Robin shook his head, "I can't reach the Batcave, the Hall of Justice or even the Watchtower. All adults, even Red Arrow are just...missing," the Boy Wonder hesitated to say, not wanting to use the word 'gone' with Kou`ki in the room.

Zatanna looked at the holographic monitors, "All traditional media is offline. But kids world-wide are all posting the same thing over the internet. All adults over the age of eighteen have vanished."

Robin gritted his teeth with worry before turning to Karin, "What could you find out from your end?"

"I called Hitomi-chan and Riku-kun and they both said their parents disappeared too," Karin informed with regret. "They haven't been able to get a hold of my Sesshōmaru Oji-sama either. And I can't find Kirara anywhere in The Cave, so whatever happened worked on her too," she continued while rubbing Kou`ki's back soothingly, after he started to whimper. "Any idea of what could make human, alien, machine and yōkai adults just vanish like that?" she asked her teammates.

"The sorcery necessary to pull that type of thing off is scary big," Zatanna answered.

That's when Robin got an idea and turned toward Zatanna, "We're going to need you to find the source of that sorcery."

Zatanna looked at the Boy Wonder stunned, "How am I supposed to do that?"

Karin caught on to what Robin was suggesting, "Zatara-san used a spell to find Wotan, when we needed to locate the Injustice League. You could use that same spell to find out who's caused this, Zatanna-chan."

The magician shook her head in a panic, "But I don't know what spell he used." Robin pulled up the footage of Zatara using the incantation necessary to locate the magic. "You don't understand. The words are only a part of it. The rest takes training that I just don't think I...Guy's I'm just not on my dad's level,' she told them with self-doubt.

Robin sighed, "I know it's hard...But we got to stay whelmed." He looked over at Kou`ki and walked over to him, "Don't worry. We're going to find your parents," he swore rubbing the half Martian's head soothingly.

Kou`ki sniffled at the Boy Wonder, "Promise?"

Robin gave a confident smile, "I promise."

Karin nodded, "All of us are."

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_A Few Hours Later_

Karin was in the Sitting Room, with Kou`ki laying his head on her lap as he rested. She was brushing her fingers through his hair, silently relieved that he was no longer crying. 'Then again, if he didn't cry, I would have,' she admitted to herself.

Conner entered the room a few minutes later, "How is he?" he whispered, not wanting to wake Kou`ki up.

"He finally wore himself out," she answered Conner just as quietly, still running her fingers through her little brother's hair. "Where are the others?" she asked, referring to The Team.

"They're putting up a worldwide broadcast to help everyone stay calm," Conner told her, while he remained fixated on Karin's motions. Watching his girlfriend being so affectionate towards her little brother was heartwarming thing to witness. Until today, Conner hadn't spent that much time around children. A part of him was distressed by the thought of him never being that small or knowing a comfort of a parent or older sibling.

Karin saw that longing look in his eyes and frowned. 'This must be hard on him,' she figured.

The sound of Kou`ki whimpering brought the couple out of their thoughts.

"Shhh, it's okay," Karin urged her brother, "I'm here, Kou-chan," she reminded him.

"**Deta deta tsuki ga**

**marui marui manmarui**

**bon no you na tsuki ga"**

Karin sang to Kou`ki, whose whimpering began to lesson. It was a lullaby that their mother sung to them when they were babies.

"**Kakureta kumo ni, **

**kuroi kuroi makkuroi **

**sumi no you na kumo ni**

**Mata deta tsuki ga, **

**marui marui manmarui,**

**bon no you na tsuki ga." **

**(AN: I do not own this song. This is just a popular lullaby in Japan called Moon...That is all.)**

Kou`ki fell back a sleep, and Karin sighed in relief. She looked back to Conner and noticed that he was looking at her in a complete daze. She was about to question him on what he was thinking about when her cousin came into the room.

"We need you both in the Mission Room. Zatanna is going to try the locater spell," Miss Martian informed them.

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_The Cave: November 6, 00:03 EDT _

Zatara stared at the Helmet of Fate in desperation. He knew Nabu had the power to reverse whatever spell was cast to bring his daughter and the other children back.

"Don't," Miko warned from behind Zatara, startling him. Batman was standing next to her, along with a fully transformed Kirara. They had found the neko all alone in The Cave, looking just as confused on what had happened to The Team.

"He can help," the magician argued.

Batman shook his head, "You already found the focal point of high sorcery at Roanoke. You, Miko, Tornado and I will check it out while the rest of the League is out controlling the chaos the adults are creating."

Zatara sighed as he continued to look at the helmet, "I would do anything to get my daughter back."

"You think I wouldn't do the same for mine," Miko reminded him. "Or my son. But Zatara-san, the cost of using the helmet is far too great."

"You could lose your only child, my friend," Batman told his former mentor.

Zatara knew that both of them were right, "So, we're not that desperate...Not yet." The three of them made their way back to the Mission Room, to form a strategy. "The entire League is unavailable?" the magician asked.

"All accept for Captain Marvel. He's missing," answered Batman.

Miko halted in her at the news, 'If he's missing...Does that mean he was in his child form when the children disappeared?'

The miko's thoughts were interrupted by the Zeta-tube, _"Recognize: Captain Marvel 15."_

The Captain flew out of the zeta tube with the speed of Mercury. He had to help The Team find out what happened to the adults. "Guys, I'm here to," he paused when he saw Miko, Batman and Zatara standing in front of them. "You're back," he rushed over and gave the trio a big hug, "Is it all over now? Where's The Team?"

Zatara looked at Captain Marvel furiously once they were released, "Haven't you heard? Every child in the world has vanished."

Batman looked at the Captain questioningly, "Captain where have you been?"

Captain Marvel's eyes widened, "On a world without grown-ups," he said astonished.

Miko started to make the connection, "There are two worlds."

"Two dimensions," Batman agreed, "One for adults and one for children."

Zatara looked to Captain Marvel optimistically, "And you can travel between them?"

The Captain nodded, "I know I can...SHAZAM!"

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_The Cave: November 6, 00:08 (Children Dimension)_

Zatanna looked at the holographic globe nervously.

"You can do it," Moriko encouraged with a sleeping Kou`ki in her arms.

The magician took a deep breath before reciting the incantation, _"Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!"_

The globe moved to show a red dot on Roanoke Island.

"Got it," said Robin locking the coordinates, "You did it Zatanna."

Suddenly a bolt of lightning appeared in the middle of the room, startling the young heroes. When the lightning cleared, a small boy appeared.

"It worked," said the boy excited when he saw The Team. Kou`ki rubbed his eyes awake, since the lightning woke him up.

"Where did you come from?" Aqualad questioned the boy.

Moriko sniffed the boy's scent and shook her head confused, "You smell familiar...Do we know you?"

"You sure do," said the boy, Billy. "Quick read my mind," he told Miss Martian.

The female Martain quickly read the boys mind and gasped at what she found out, "He's-he's Captain Marvel."

Kid Flash snorted unconvinced, "Yeah, and I'm Speedy Gonzales. Just because he thinks he's the Captain, doesn't mean he is."

Billy rolled his eyes, "Geez Wally, do I have to bring you nachos and pineapple juice to get you to trust me?"

Moriko couldn't help but chuckle at the question, "Yep, that's the Captain alright. But how are you a child?"

Billy rubbed the back of his head, "I've kind of always been a kid."

"Well, this is whelming," Robin said rubbing the bridge of his nose, getting a migraine. 'The guy who has been our den mother for the past few months is actually younger than all of us.'

"Look, the reason I'm here is to tell you that all the adults are fine," Billy told The Team.

The young heroes sighed in relief.

Moriko was thankful by the news, "Hear that Kou`ki? Kaa-san and Outo-san are okay."

Kou`ki smiled at his sister, glad to hear his parents weren't gone forever.

"According to Batman, there are two dimensions," Billy continued, "One for adults and one for kids."

"But why?" Artemis asked failing to see the reason for it.

"What difference does it make?" argued Kid Flash. "We just got to take down the bad guys responsible."

"I'll go back and see what the plan will be," Billy told The Team, "SHAZAM!"

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_(Adult Dimension) _

"It works," Captain Marvel told the League members when he came back from the children's dimension.

Miko looked at the Captain with hopeful eyes, "Are they alright?"

He nodded, "All of them. And your son, Kou`ki," he tried to pronounce it correctly, "Moriko has him."

"Oh thank Kami," Miko said in liberation. She was worried about her son being all alone at the shrine.

"So what's the plan," Captain Marvel asked the Dark Knight.

Batman already knew, "It's clear that there will be a threat in both dimensions. We may not be familiar with the opponents."

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_(Children Dimension)_

"But the key for this mission is a coordinated simultaneous attack," suggested Aqualad to Billy, to relay to Batman.

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_(Adult Dimension)_

"Agreed," said Batman "Our best chance against sorcery is to strike fast, and disrupt their efforts."

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_(Children Dimension) _

"And hope that the dimensions will merge naturally back together," Aqualad finished.

Kou`ki looked up gloomy at his sister, _"Are you going to leave me?"_ he asked telepathically.

Moriko wiped a tear falling from his eye, "I have to go, Kou`ki. It's the only way to get Kaa-san and Outo-san back."

Kou`ki hugged his sister tightly, thinking that if he held on to her tight enough, she wouldn't go.

"Who's going to watch him?" Artemis asked Moriko.

"Good question," she replied, haven't considered that until now.

Aqualad cleared his throat nervously, "I've uhh, already called someone to come watch him before Zatanna used her locator spell."

Before Moriko could ask Aqualad who, the computer announced an arrival, _"Recognized: Hitomi Medea A02." _

"Hey guys," the kitsune hanyou greeted The Team.

Kid Flash smirked at Hitomi's arrival, "My Foxy Lady returns."

Hitomi gave an overly dramatic sigh, "Oh Wally-kun, I've been counting the days till we could meet again," she teased, before looking to her aunt, "No worries, Kar-chan. I'll keep an eye on our favorite half Martian."

Superboy looked to Aqualad and raised a brow, "You've got Hitomi's number?"

The Atlantean turned his gaze away, slightly blushing and avoided answering the question.

Hitomi chuckled at her boyfriend's shyness, 'He's so cute when he's embarrassed.'

Moriko's eyes widened in realization, "Aqualad, are you dating my niece?"

The accused Atlantean gave a slight nod.

"Damn it," Kid Flash swore with a pout that Hitomi was now taken.

Hitomi patted the speedster's shoulder apologetically, "We'll always have Odaiba, Wally-kun."

"Oh brother," Artemis muttered as she rolled her eyes at how overly dramatic the speedster was being.

"Ohhh," Moriko pointed to Aqualad and Hitomi, "You both are sooo gonna get it when I tell my Nii-san."

"Oh, like you are when he finds out you and Superboy are a couple?" Hitomi reminded her with a kitsune smile. If she was going to face her father's overprotective wrath then so was her aunt.

Moriko was stumped, forgetting that her older brother didn't know about her dating Superboy, which is preferably a good thing. "Oh you, mischief-making bitch," she growled at niece.

"Duh. Part fox," Hitomi replied as if that were explanation enough.

"Umm, guys," Robin interjected, "The mission."

"Oh right," Moriko was brought back into reality.

Kou`ki shook his head vigorously, "I don't want you to go,"he cried to his sister.

Moriko sighed as she put her brother on the ground and kneeled in front of him, "Kou`ki, do you remember how excited you get when you see Kaa-san and Outo-san on the news and cheer for them when they're fighting bad guys?" The half Martian boy nodded, thinking of how cool his parents. "Well, your Onee-san needs to fight some bad guys and I need you here to cheer for me and my friends while we do it. Can you do that for me?"

It took a few moments for Kou`ki to reluctantly nod.

Moriko smiled behind her mask and hugged him, _"I'll be back,"_ she promised in his mind.

Hitomi came up to Kou`ki and grabbed his hand. "Good luck," she told The Team before looking to Aqualad, "And be careful out there."

The Atlantean nodded, giving her a silent promise that he will be.

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_Roanoke Island: Forty Minutes Later_

Klarion continued to focus on the spell that separated the two dimensions. The Witch Boy along with Wotan, Felix Faust, Wizard and Blackbriar Thorn cast it in order for the Light to gather an important item. He chuckled in delight of what was coming. 'From the Light and the crow.'

Suddenly Teekl, he Witch Boy's familiar, meowed behind him.

Klarion sighed as he turned to stop the shuriken and arrows flying toward him with a mere thought. "Is that really the best you got?" he asked Robin and Artemis who were staring with shocked looks on their faces.

Superboy, Aqualad, Moriko, and Kid Flash surrounded the Lord of Chaos from all sides and charged at him.

Klarion raise a barrier forcing them all to bounce back.

Zatanna sneered, _"Etativel mih ffo eht margatnep." _

Nothing happened.

"Heh, baby magic," Klarion laughed, before mockingly casting a spell to send Zatanna flying into the air.

Superboy super-jumped into the air and caught the magician.

Miss Martian levitated giant rocks and aimed it at the barrier. Klarion fought back by spitting fire from his mouth.

Kid Flash ran over to Artemis, "When I was possessed by Fate, he defeated Klarion by attacking his cat. He can't stay on this plane without him."

Artemis drew an arrow from her quiver, "Good, excluding Kirara, I'm not a big cat fan." She aimed her bow at the feline and fired.

Klarion snickered as he transformed the arrow aimed at Teekl and turned it to a ball of yarn. "Why not show them what a familiar of the Lord of Chaos can do?" he taunted before transforming Teekl into a giant menacing demon cat.

"Where's Kirara and Wolf when we need them," Conner complained as he charged Teekl. The demon cat roared as she struck the Boy of Steel with its giant paw

Moriko gasped at the sight before growling at the Witch Boy, 'If only there was a way to get past that barrier,' she thought before she felt a familiar pulse coming from behind her. 'Tetsusaiga,' she recognized instantly. 'But why?' she questioned before realizing what she had asked a moment ago, 'Is that possible?'

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_Roanoke Island (Adult Dimension) _

Batman, Miko, Zatara, Captain Marvel, and Red Tornado all attacked Wotan, Felix Faust, Wizard and Blackbriar Thorn.

Batman threw his shuriken at Blackbriar Thorn. The magic user summoned a giant tree to tie up the Dark Knight with its branches.

Miko came up next to the tree and placed her hand to purify its dark magic. The tree vanished a moment later.

"Damn priestess," Blackbriar Thorn cursed, before a fully transformed Kirara attacked the villain. The magic user threw a fire ball at the neko, blinding her as she roared in pain.

Zatara used his magic to strike the villains with lightening and noticed how a crystal inside the pentagram was also effected.

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_(Children Dimension)_

"So you've teamed up with the grown-ups," Klarion stated to the young heroes. "Team work is so overrated."

"_M`gann, link me with The Team," _Moriko urged her cousin in mind.

"_Everyone's online,"_ Miss Martian told her.

"_Guys, i think I can take down Klarion's barrier with Tetsusaiga,"_ Moriko told The Team.

Aqualad glanced at her as he was holding off a magic attack by Klarion, "_Are you sure?"_

"_Tetsusaiga thinks it can,"_ said Moriko.

"_Go for it,"_ Conner encouraged.

Zatanna wasn't convinced, not believing anything short of Doctor Fate could take down Klarion. 'It's the only way,' she concluded before casting her next spell, _"Temleh fo Etaf, laever flesruoy!"_

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_(Adult Dimension) _

"That gem," Zatara told Captain Marvel and Miko. "Ambre Jeune Perdu, is the conduit of this sorcery. Without it nothing can keep the two worlds apart."

Miko nodded, "Tell the Team," she ordered the Captain.

"Right," said the Captain, "SHAZAM!"

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_(Children Dimension) _

Billy arrived in the middle of the fight and saw that it wasn't going well. "Hey guys," he began to yell before Miss Martian covered his mouth.

"_You're on our mind link,"_ she told him.

"_Cool,"_ said Billy before shaking his head reminding himself he could geek out about it later, _"It's the gem in the pentagram. If it's gone, then we win." _

"_That's all I needed to know,"_ said Zatanna as she grabbed the Helmet of Fate.

Moriko glanced at the magician horrified, _"No! Zatanna, I can bring the barrier down." _

"_But you'll need the distraction,"_ Zatanna told her before placing the helmet on herself and becoming a female version of Doctor Fate.

"Klarion!" called the voice of Doctor Fate, "This ends now!"

Miss Martian looked at Billy, "Tell Zatara," she ordered.

Billy nodded, "SHAZAM!" he yelled to tell the adults in the other dimension.

Doctor Fate attacked Klarion with his magic, while the Witch Boy defended with his.

"Do it!" Doctor Fate yelled to Moriko.

Coming out of her shock, Moriko drew out Tetsusaiga, transforming it to its legendary fang. The blade suddenly changed to red and began to pulsing again. "Whoa," Moriko couldn't help but admire the fang for a slight moment. She raised the sword and charged at the barrier, "Here goes nothing!" she yelled before striking the barrier with the Red Tetsusaiga.

The instant the fang touched the magical barrier it collapsed.

"NO!" Klarion whined in fury, "No! No! No!

Doctor Fate quickly used his magic to bind the Lord of Chaos.

"Now Kid," Aqualad ordered the speedster.

Kid Flash used his super speed to grab the gem. "Catch!" he yelled throwing the gem at Doctor Fate

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_(Adult Dimension) _

"She did what!" Zatara yelled once he heard what Zatanna had done, "Go back and help her!" he demanded the Captain.

"The only way to help her is to stop this," Miko reminded the magician as she held up a barrier to protect them from Wotan's magic.

Captain Marvel thought of an idea. He flew into the air to get enough power to drill into the ground and come back up under the pentagram to grab the gem. "Zatara!" he yelled throwing the gem to the magician.

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"_Yam eht owt emoceb eno ecno erom!"_ yelled Zatara and Doctor Fate at the same time.

Making the two world become one once more, making everyone appear in the field.

Felix Faust, Wizard, Wotan and Blackbriar Thorn collapsed from exhaustion.

Klarion looked at his friends in disappointment, "They sure don't make evil immortal sorcerers like they used to. Oh well," he snapping his fingers to remove his magic bindings. "Fun while it lasted. Teekl," he called while clapping for his familiar to come to him. The cat demon shrunk to his normal size. Klarion grabbed his cat and summoned a portal before his gaze landed on Moriko. "Thanks for the show," he said before jumping in the portal.

"Aren't you going to stop him?" Kid Flash yelled to Doctor Fate.

"To what end," Fate replied. "Klarion is chaos personified. He cannot be contained."

"Moriko," Miko said relived hugging her daughter. Kirara ran up and rubbed her charges side. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Zatara wished she could say the same to his own daughter. "Fate!" he yelled before taking a calming breath, "Great Nabu, release my daughter."

Doctor Fate glared at Zatara, "No."

Everyone looked at the sorcerer horrified.

"After witnessing the havoc wrought in these hours, it is clear that the world needs Doctor Fate," he explained. "The girl's natural affinity for the mystic arts makes her a perfect candidate."

"He can't do that," Moriko said appalled.

Miko shook her head in regret, "He can."

Robin couldn't believe what was happening, "Zatanna has her own life to live." 'Please don't take her,' he begged in his mind.

"Kent would never allow this," Kid Flash argued.

"Kent Nelson had objected," replied Doctor Fate. "So, I released his spirit into the afterlife. He is gone."

Zatara's fist clenched, Nabu would not let his daughter go. 'Not without someone willing to put on the helmet.'

Miko looked at the magician, and by the look on his face she knew what he was thinking. "Zatara-san," she said hesitantly.

"Take me instead," Zatara begged Doctor Fate. "My skills are at their peak and my body is at its prime, better to withstand the strain of your power."

Doctor Fate nodded, "All true. But if I remove my helmet, what guarantee have I that you will don it?"

"You have my word," said Zatara using an incantation to guarantee his promise.

Satisfied, Doctor Fate lowered to the ground and removed the helmet.

Zatanna looked at her father and hugged him tightly.

"Remember, I love you," Zatara told her as he kissed her forehead. He turned to Miko and Batman. "Please, watch over her."

"We will," Batman promised.

"No! Daddy no!" Zatanna cried as her father pulled away and put on the helmet, becoming Doctor Fate.

The female magician fell to her knees and cried for the loss of her father.

The Team surrounded Zatanna in comfort.

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_The Cave: One Hour Later _

"Kaa-san! Outo-san!" Kou`ki screeched when he saw his parents.

The two heroes hugged their son for dear life.

"You are not allowed to leave my side until you're thirty," Kagome swore holding her son. J`onn didn't comment on the statement, since he felt the same way.

Hitomi ran up to Aqualad with concerned eyes. "What happened?"

"We won," the Atlantean told her, "But at a cost." He gave her a quick over view of what happened while Moriko, Miss Martian, Superboy and Robin led a grieving Zatanna into the room.

Hitomi covered her mouth from shock, "Oh my Kami." She looked at the young magician teary eyed. She could only imagine what Zatanna must be going through. 'Her father isn't missing or even dead...He's just gone.'

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_Karin's Room: Later That Night (Early Morning) _

"I'm surprised you're not going to stay at the shrine," Conner told Karin as he walked into her room.

Karin was hanging up her Moriko outfit and placed Tetsusaiga on a sword stand. "Kou`ki needs my parents more than I do right now."

"Lucky kid," he mumbled before sitting on her bed. Conner seriously doubted that Superman was as worried for him when the children disappeared.

Karin turned to him as she got an idea, "Come here," she gestured as she sat next to him. Conner raised a brow in question. "Just do it," she told him, as she wrapped her hand around his neck, guided him to rest his head on her lap. She started to run her fingers through her boyfriend's hair, like she did for Kou`ki.

Conner quickly enjoyed the feel of his girlfriend's tenderness. Somehow she always knew what he needed in order to feel loved. After a few minutes, Conner turned his head to look into Karin's eyes, "I love you, Karin."

Karin smiled tenderly at him, "Good, because I love you too," she replied, using the same words he used the first day they confessed to each other.

Conner put his fingers in her hair, like she did his, before he leaned up to kiss her. 'She's all I'll ever need,' he thought in content.

&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

_The Next Day_

"Batman, I'm telling you something isn't right," Kagome said on her com-link.

The Dark Knight sighed, "It was a stressful mission. Maybe you misunderstood."

"You're wrong," she argued, "Klarion looked directly at Karin when he said 'thanks for the show.' There's something going on...Something bad."

"Any idea what?" Batman asked, humoring her.

Kagome wished she had an answer for him.

&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

_Unknown Location_

"I'm pleased to hear that The Light's plan succeeded in their theft," Lord Daiki told the Lord of Chaos. "But were you able to accomplish what I requested of you?"

Klarion sat cross legged in mid-air, "Yeah yeah, the part demon brat was able to break the barrier like you suspected."

Daiki smile grew, "Excellent."

One of Daiki's sons Hayate, who was standing next to Klarion, looked concerned, "Father, what was the point of the test?" Hayate had pale skin and black hair like his father, only his reached his shoulders and wasn't slit back. He wore black dress pants, a crimson button up shirt with a black vest over it and black dress shoes

"The stories say that the traitor's bastard half-breed son was able to make the legendary blade stronger with his quest in battling Naraku. I wanted to see if it was true," Daiki explained to his eldest son.

Daiki's other son, Noboru, sighed from boredom. "I don't know why you bothered, when we can just go forth with the plan now." Noboru had pale skin and black hair just like his family, only his hair was spiked up. He wore a plain black shirt with worn out blue jeans and black sneakers.

Just like their father, Hayate and Noboru also had black wings on their backs.

"Patience Noboru," Daiki advised. "We waited centuries for this. A little more time won't be so unbearable."

"For you maybe," Noboru pouted, causing his father to sigh.

Klarion pet Teekl in his lap and chuckled, "And so the fun begins."

**A lot of things happening in this chapter. Oh, Hayate and Noboru are also mine. And for those who are curious, the English lyrics for Moon are: **

"**Rising, rising is the moon,**

**Large & round, large & round, round, round one,**

**Plate-like full moon will rise soon.**

**Hiding, hiding is the moon,**

**Behind the clouds, dark clouds, black, black clouds,**

**Plate-like full moon will hide soon.**

**Appearing, reappearing is the moon,**

**Large & round, large & round, round, round one,**

**Plate-like full moon will rise soon." **

**Anyway, what do you guys think of the chapter? Next time: Kid Flash's Birthday and the secrets of 'Hello Megan.'**

**Till Then My Readers **


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